Because I Say So
by Kayla Sparrow
Summary: When a 21st century 20yearold girl is accidentally dragged into the POTC world, her whole life is turned upside down. Now,it all depends on her, and everything is going to change...because SHE says so.
1. Introduction

**Ahoy mates! The idea for this fic occurred to me while watching DMC for the gazillionth time…it started by me wondering: "What would I do if I were there?" …and well, this is the result. This first introduction might not explain exactly what I'm up to, but I promise you'll find out soon enough. Let me know what you think of it for now!**

**Love to all,**

**XOXO**

**Kayla**

**Because I Say So**

_Introduction_

"Elizabeth Stephanie Darling, you are a complete _loser_!"

Lisa raised her head from the computer screen for a moment, taking one of her earphones off and glaring at the girl standing in the doorway of her bedroom.

"Lucy…what's your _problem_?" she asked her rather acidly.

The girl, who happened to be Lisa's older sister Megan, waltzed inside the room without another word and lightly sat on the desk besides the computer. "_You _are my problem, Lizzie," she said, swishing her blonde hair back.

"From when?" Lisa asked, before adding, "And besides, don't call me Lizzie. I hate being called that way. You _know_ that! It's Lisa, ok? _Just Lisa."_

"Yeah, whatever, _'just Lisa'_ ," her sister went on, waving her hand airily, "You're still a freak."

"Ok," Lisa clicked the pause button on the computer, "I got a question: what did I do to you?"

"Nothing," said Megan, "And that's exactly my point."

Lisa raised an eyebrow, "You're not making any sense."

"All right," Megan got back up on her feet, "Let me see…how can I make this clearer?" she pretended to be thinking, "Ah…it's Saturay night, you're a reasonably attractive twenty-year-old girl who just broke up with her boyfriend, and what are you doing? Instead of going out and having a blast with your friends, you lock yourself in your room to watch _those guys,_" she pointed a finger at the now frozen computer screen, "Without realizing that you're just waisting your time…and acting like a total loser."

"Ever heard the saying, 'Mind your own business'?" said Lisa, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Ever heard the saying, 'Get a life'?" her sister promptly snapped back, "God, Lisa, you'd think you'd be mature enough to get over a stupid movie star crush. I mean…those guys aren't _real _! And if you-"

"All right, you know what? I don't want to hear this," said Lisa, raising from her chair, "So do me a favour, and get _out_!"

Megan raised her arms in surrender, "Ok,ok…chill, sis! I was just trying to help!"

"Yeah," Lisa said, pushing her towards the door, "Well, if you really wanna help, get the heck out of here and leave me alone! I'm already depressed enough without _you_ coming in and poiting out how much of a loser I am!"

"Whatever you say…" Lisa slammed the door in Megan's face, blocking her voice out.

"Chiece!" she exclaimed, returning to her desk and putting her earphones back on, "Who ever asked _her_ opinion?" she snorted, then concentrated on the movie, still paused on the screen in front of her, "Now…where was I?"

She clicked the play button again and slumped back on her chair, trying to forget the conversation between herself and her sister, even though she knew that Megan was, in fact, quite right.

It had been twenty-four since Lisa had broken up with her boyfriend, Fred Landry, and she was currently in no mood to share anyone's company, if not her own.

Sure, it was no big deal in the end, seeing she really was, like Megan had pointed out a few moment before, a pretty good-looking girl who'd had numerous boyfriends in the past and who would actually have no problem finding a new one, just as soon as she'd make up her mind to put this last relationship behind her. But still, it _was_ a bit depressing.

After all, Fred was one _hot_ guy.

Before her sister had come bursting in, however, Lisa hadn't even been thinking about him, on account of the fact that she'd been busy watching her number one anti-depression cure, represented by a now empty DVD cover sitting besides her computer. It had a very familiar image as a cover, and it was topped with a very familiar title.

**PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST**

"Yo-ho, yo-ho, a pirate's life for me," she chanted under her breath, bending her arms behind her head as the scene continued to play, "Megan and her ideas," she then hought to herself, "_Why_ I should be considered a freak just because I'm watching my favourite movie, I do not now, but…ah, whatever. Let her think what she wants…it's not like I care, really. Her bad." She decided to just ignore everything her sister had told her and enjoy the movie.

She knew the story so well that she could re-act it out entirely, but she always loved watching it again. Scene after scene, Lisa allowed her mind to get completely absorbed in the wonderful world of pirates, laughing at Captain Jack's witty sayings and gazing in awe at his spectacular adventures. She sigh in front of the beauty of the Captain, and wondered how it would be to meet him. Megan was right about one thing, sadly: never in her life would Lisa get the chance to meet that marvellous pirate. _Never._ Talk about depressing.

"If only you were _real_," she said dreamily, leaning towards the screen and gently caressing it with her hand. She jumped slightly when a lightning bolt cracked through the sky outside her window. "Stupid lighting." She muttered, before returning her attention to the movie.

Time went by, and soon the girl felt the need for a drink. She had just arrived to the scene set on the Cannibal Island.

"All right, hold on a second," she said, hitting the pause button on the computer.

She got up and left the room, returning shortly after with a large cup filled with ice-cold water in her hand. She'd been lucky enough to avoid meeting Megan on her way to the kitchen, for which she was very thankful.

She sat back down pressed the play button again, resuming the viewing of the film while taking a long sip from her drink.

"Oh, no!" she suddenly exclaimed, as some of the liquid spilled on top of the computer. She hastily rose to her feet, scooping up the cup and desperately trying to wipe away the water from the keyboard. She watched as the movie's images began to blur, and the DVD player began making a scratching, whirring noise. The girl's hand shot forward to strike the pause key again, but no sooner had she done that, that another lightning bolt ripped the sky, and she felt a shock run through her arm as a white light blinded her.

A moment later, everything went black.


	2. Cannibal Island

_**A/N: **_**I'm back with the first official chapter! Sorry it took so long, but I'm warning you, updates **_**will**_** be a bit slow here because I have to describe so many things…anyways:**

_**J. B. Duenweg**_** thanks for reviewing, LOL I know don't you hate it when that happens? XD hope I updated fast enough for you!**

_**DxS Phreak**_**…you have NO idea how much this girl's life is gonna change :P come to think about it, what you say is true! What's with light and life-changing events anyways? S**

_**PIRATEical ELF of Mirkwood**_**, oh yes, DO send dear Jackie over ! (hugs Jack) YAY, I like having him around!! ;) LOL I always look forward to your revies, mate!**

**Anyway, without further ado….ladies and gentlemen, CHAPTER ONE!!**

**Next one coming up ASAP, I promise! I'm really caught up in this story, so be assured I'll be working on it a lot! ;P**

**XOXO**

**Kayla**

**Chapter One : Pelagostos Island**

The sun's heat was almost unbearable, even under the trees' canopy. Lisa slowly felt her senses flow back to her, and weakly opened her eyes. She saw the tree tops swaying in a light breeze, and heard the distant sounds of birds singing. Looking more closely, she noticed the trees were moving. Actually, _they_ weren't moving – she was!

As she gained more consciousness, she began to panic realizing that her wrists and legs were tied together. Not only that : her entire body was lifted above the ground, clinging to what appeared to be a wooden pole! Lisa peered around, confused, and gasped loudly when she saw what – or better, _who_ – was carrying her: a group of very tall, very threatening black men, with awful piercings trepassing through various parts of their bodies and wicked symbols painted upon their skin. They apparently hadn't noticed she'd woken up, or, more likely, they simply didn't care.

"Where am I?" she wondered, her head jerking in all directions as her heart pounded in her chest and she desperately tried to understand how in the world she'd gotten in the middle of a tropical jungle from her city bedroom. She forced herself to remember exactly what had happened before she'd woken up. The last thing she could recall was a very painful shock, after touching her computer. It had probably gotten ruined, she presumed, after she'd spilled the water on it, right before pausing the movie and…her eyes widened.

The _movie_?

Could it be…?

Of _course_!

If what she was seeing was true…

If what she remember was true…

Then,it all came down to one conclusion, however absurd it seemed: she was _inside_ the movie!

_She was inside Pirates of the Caribbean!_

The idea was so outrageous, that she honestly didn't know what to think, or how to feel: on one side, she wanted to burst out laughing with a mixture of thrill and sheer joy; on the other, she was scared out of her wits.

She knew she was completely powerless at the moment: all she could do was keep on dangling from the pole, waiting. After all, if she really _was_ in the movie, she knew _exactly_ where she was, and also knew where she was being taken…and once again, she was torn between feeling giddy or terrorized.

She looked at the men again, finally recognizing who they were from the movie: the Pelagostos, the native inhabitants of the island. Seen up close, they looked much more threatening than on screen, that was certain. And Lisa was definitely _not_ about to take the chance of fighting them off. Actually, that was also because part of her was curious to see how she'd end up.

She lowered her gaze and suddenly took notice of her clothing, which had changed: she was no longer wearing her comfortable jeans, bedroom slippers and tight top. Now, she was wearing a broad white shirt, leather knee-high boots, and black pants. A red bandana was tied around her neck, a sword was hanging from her waist, and she felt a small dagger placed safely inside her right boot. She couldn't help but grin.

"_S-weet!_" she thought, "_I got a cool pirate outfit!_"

She let her body drop in her initial position, leaning backwards and glancing at the sky above. The trip was taking longer than she'd thought, and she soon started feeling annoyed. In fact, she was glad when they finally stepped out of the jungle and into a vast opening.

The landscape had changed radically around them: no longer the forest's lush trees, but what looked various little islands, rising at impossible heighs instead of standing out at the sea, connected with each other by a series of wooden bridges. On each patch of land was a set of straw huts, which Lisa knew made up the village of the Pelagostos. Even from the edge of the jungle she could hear the sound of drums playing rhythmically.The men carrying her made their way across their homes, heading towards what looked like the biggest island.

The girl felt her head spin as she looked down while they were passing on one of the bridges: below them was a huge fall, so deep, that Lisa was ready to bet one would have plenty of time to scream on the way down if he fell from the bridge. The thought made her shiver, and she was glad when they finally set foot on solid land.

A large group of Pelagostos had assembled in a circle, some cheering, some playing music, others simply standing still. The girl's captors brought her through the crowd. The people made way as they passed, and Lisa felt uneasy as she saw their eyes scrutinizing her. She gulped as she remembered they were viscious cannibals, but her attention was drawn away from them as the men stopped moving, and she turned her head around.

Her eyes widened in shock, and she gasped. In front of her, she saw an exotic-looking throne, decorated with big feathers and strange indigenous markings. It was standing in the middle of the opening they were now in, elevated above the ground. But what shocked her was not the throne itself.

It was the figure sitting _on_ it.

Although she'd thought she'd smartly come up with a logical conclusion to explain _where_ she was and what had happened to her, she still couldn't believe her eyes. There, standing alive and breathing, was none other than witty, handsome, and theoretically _un_existing…

"Captain? Captain…_Jack Sparrow_?" the girl asked in barely more than a whisper.

He was regally posed upon the large throne, with his eyes closed. He was exactly like in the movie: apart from his usual pirate outfit and unkept looks, his face was marked with sideways sets of eyes, and he was holding a big feathery cane. His black dreadlocks fell in a mess around his shoulders, his chin showed the slightest sign of a beard, and his mismatched clothes suited him wonderfully. Because of the strange eye markings, it looked as if his own eyes were open: in reality, those too were painted, and his real ones were closed.

However, as soon as he heard Lisa speak his name – especially after she'd adressed him as _"Captain"_ – he opened them instantly, noticing the girl and staring at her, without moving a muscle, with such an intensity in his deep stare that she had to look away. He seemed hesitant, but finally decided to inspect Lisa more closely. Frowning, he got up and took a few cautious steps towards her, as though she were some sort of wild animal.

Lisa was so captivated by his every move, that she wasn't able to utter a single word, but simply stared in awe at him. He came up to her and tilted his head to the side.

"Do I know you?" he demanded.

"I…I...N-no," she stuttered, clearing her throat in a desperate attempt to regain control over herself.

Jack looked even more puzzled, "Then…what are you doing here?"

"Ah…actually, it's a funny story, but I-"

Lisa was interrupted when one of the Pelagostos stepped up and started talking to Jack in a very loud voice, speaking in native language so that the girl couldn't understand a single word he was saying. Jack, on the other hand, seemed to be very interested in the man's speech, and nodded when he finished.

"So, another pirate, ei?" he asked, turning towards Lisa once more.

"What?" Lisa presumed he'd just been told how they had captured her, but not knowing how they had found her while she was unconscious, she reckoned it had been near the sea if they thought she was a pirate. She decided to go with that story, for the time being. "Yes, I am…sort of."

"I see," replied the Captain, with his hand on his chin and his gaze lowered and unfocused, as though he was considering something. After a couple more moments, he raised his head and said something to the Pelagostos that had spoken to him. He jestured madly as he did so, occasionally poiting at Lisa as the rest of the men listened to him intently.

"Savvy?" he then said – Lisa felt chills run up her spine when she heard him say that trademark word of his in person - and the Pelagostos nodded, before one of them began to shout a word repeatedly and the rest of the population cheered. To her horror, the man then beckoned the ones who had carried Lisa to move, and they obeyed.

"W-what are you doing?" the girl demanded, frightened, jolting her head left and right, "No, don't! Stop it…I…Jack! What did you tell them? Why are they-"

The Captain stood besides her, and as she passed by him he bent down and whispered,"_Save me!_"

Lisa frowned as the men brought her away: that was the same phrase Jack told Will, his pirate friend, in the movie, as he watched _him _being carried off by the Pelagostos, just like Lisa was in that very moment…but then, why had he told her and not him? Did that mean Will wasn't there? Or did he still have to be captured and taken to Jack?

After a short walk, they stopped at the edge of a cliff, and peering down, Lisa found an answer to her questions: there, attatched under one of the bridges, stood two very big orbs, built in what looked like bones and containing two separate groups of men the girl recognized as Jack's pirate crew. Amongst them, she though she noticed Will too, but was unable to check if she was correct, because she suddenly felt a sharp pain on the side of her neck as one of her guards stabbed her with a poison arrow. She immediately began to feel dizzy, and in a few moments she fell unconscious.

When she woke again, her vision was blurry, and she moaned feeling the pain from the arrow's sting pulsing in her neck. She felt she was lieing on her back, and saw various figures looking down at her. As she started focusing better, she build up enough strengh to sit up, and clutched her head, feeling slightly nauseated. She noticed there was somebody standing next to her, bent on his knees. When he saw her sway slightly, he gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" he asked her gently, in a voice she knew very well.

When she was finally able to look up, she immediately identified him: short brown hair tied back, gentle angelic features, kind hazel eyes, he was, like Jack, quite unmistakable.

"Will!" she said. He looked taken aback.

"How do you know me?" he asked.

"Trust me, you wouldn't believe me if I told you," she replied, pushing herself up on her feet. She'd come to the conclusion this was absolutely not the time for explanations, especially if they were so important. He looked confused, but didn't say anything.

She saw that she was now inside one of the orbs she'd seen before faiting, and shruddered.

"How did I get here?" she asked.

"Just like all the rest of us," answered another one of the pirates, more elderly and chubbier than Will. Lisa also knew who he was: Mr.Gibbs, Jack's first mate. In fact, she knew everybody inside that orb, except, of course, they didn't know. She promised herself she'd find a way to explain to both Jack and Will how she knew who they were, if she made it out of that situation alive.

"They put you to sleep and put you in here," Will explained, "We saw them."

"I hate these stupid cannibals," Lisa muttered, massaging her neck, "That darn arrow hurt like hell!"

"I know," said Will, and Lisa knew it was because he, too, had been stung by one of them when he'd been captured by the Pelagostos.

"All right, what is it you're planning to do?" asked Lisa after a moment's silence.

The crew looked at her, more and more puzzled by the minute.

"What do you mean?" asked one of the men.

"You want to get out of here, don't you?" she said, and they all nodded, "Well then, come on, what's your plan?" The pirates simply stared blankly. "You mean you've been here all this time and you still haven't figured how to escape?" They shook their heads, and she sigh deeply.

She didn't know who'd come up with the idea that had made them get away in the movie, because it wasn't shown, so somebody probably still had to suggest it. She grinned to herself: it was time to take the situation into her own hands.

"All right, come closer, all of you," she ordered, jesturing for the men to circle around her, "Listen: I've got a plan. But you have to promise me you'll do exactly as I say…even if it sounds absurd. Understood?"

"Aye," they answered.

"Good," she replied, and leaned in a bit more, "Now, listen closely…"


	3. The Escape

**A/N: And…I'm back!! I can't believe it took me so long to update, so sorry, bad writer's block I suppose! Seeing AWE helped a lot, though! Thank you to everyone who favourited this story or left reviews, I love you guys!! –hugs- I want to let you know I am really inspired to write more to this story, and I think I'll be focusing mainly on this from now on, so stay tuned from updates! ;) **

**Read and review as always, please!**

**And let me know if the chaper is too long:P**

**XOXOX**

**Kayla**

**Chapter Two : The Escape**

"Again! One, two three…AAAAAAH! Damn it! COME ON MATES, PUT SOME EFFORT INTO IT ! WE'RE TALKING ABOUT OUR FREEDOM HERE! READY? AGAIN! ONE, TWO THREE….AAAAAAAH!"

The orb swayed backwards for the millionth time, throwing all its occupants off their feet. They had been pushing and shoving at it for what felt like ages, desperately trying to push themselves towards the mountain's side and, from there, drag themselves up the cliff.

When Lisa had first explained the plan to the pirates, they hadn't exactly been eager to try it, but seeing there was apparently no other way to escape, they had agreed to do as she'd said in the end. So now there they were, swinging back and forth and not daring to think about what might happen to them if the rope holding the orb snapped.

They stopped, taking deep breaths. Lisa's heart was pounding in her chest. She was sure this was how the crew had freed themselves in the movie, but she had never imagined it to be this hard. She couldn't help thinking how much easier it looked on screen.

"Guys," she said, still panting from the effort, "Look, we've got to do this, understand? If we can't reach that mountain, we'll never get out of here!"

"We're trying!" objected Will, "But this doesn't seem to be getting us anywhere!"

"All right then," Lisa shot back, "If anyone comes up with a better idea, go ahead, share it!"

Of course, nobody said anything, because nobody had any other solution to their problem.

Moments later, they were back in their positions, preparing to launch themselves forward once more. This time, they all pushed a little harder, and at last, they succeded in reaching the mountainside. Each of them hastily grabbed one of the vines hanging off the cliff, making sure not to let go. Lisa sigh with relief, "Good job, mates!" she beamed, "I told you we'd make it!"

The others cheered, but Gibbs broke the celebration, "All right, settle down men," he said, "We're not finished yet."

"He's right," Lisa echoed him, "We've got to stay focused."

She now noticed that the men standing in the other orb had seen them in action, and had now also managed to grasp themselves to the cliff. Lisa knew this was the way it was supposed to go in the movie, so she didn't worry about them. Instead, she focused her attention on her own companions.

"Right," she said, "Now start climbing. Slowly though, we don't want to lose our grip, okay?"

The men obeyed, and they began to pull themselves upwards. The other prisoners saw this and began imitating them, so that the two orbs were steadily making their ways up the cliff together.

"Careful, men," warned Will, referring to the pirates standing in both of the orbs, "We need all of us to control the Pearl."

"Actually," shouted a black man standing inside the second orb, "Six of us would be enough. Together, we're too many."

There was an eerie pause as everyone realized what he'd just said. Lisa held her breath: she knew this would happen. Will and Gibbs exchanged glances, and a second after, Will shouted, "MOVE!"

Everyone began to pull desperately at the vines, trying to climb as fast as possible.

Suddenly, something caught Lisa's eye: a young boy of the Pelagostos tribe was crossing the bridge that stood above the precipice they were standing in.

"Shhhhht!" she silenced everyone, hushing urgently, "Stop! Stop climbing! Stop it!"

The pirates stopped, and Will and Gibbs looked at her, enquringly. She beckoned towards the boy, who had almost crossed the bridge, and they nodded in understandment. The ones standing in the other orb had also stopped, but only stood still for a couple of seconds before resuming their climb silently.

"No!" Will whispered, alarmed, "They're going to make it before us!"

His mates shifted to start moving again, but Lisa signalled for them to halt.

"Don't!" she said, before adding to Will, "Don't worry, they won't get far."

Sure enough, moments later one of the men standing in the other orb accidentally grabbed a snake instead of a vine, and gasped loudly, startling the others, who lost their grip. Will, Gibbs, Lisa and the ones standing with them watched as the other orb slipped backwards into the fall, and the rope bidning it snapped, sending the pirates within it tumbling and yelling down into the gorge.

What was worse, the young Pelagostos was alarmed by the sudden commotion, and suddenly saw Lisa and the others halfway up the cliff.

"Darn it!" exclaimed Lisa, as they saw him stare in disbelief before running off to warn his tribe.

"All right men, it's time to _move_!" ordered Gibbs, and they hastily began to drag the orb upwards, as fast as they could. Finally, with an immense effort, they hoisted their bage over the cliff and onto solid land. They stopped to catch their breath.

"Good work, boys!" said Lisa, enthusiastically. Then, she noticed something she hadn't noticed before: the sound of drums, echoing from the village. She gasped. "Jack!"

"Aye," said Gibbs, looking, like her and the rest of their companions, in the village's direction, "It'll be the end of ol' Jack when those drums stop playing. There's no getting away with it for him this time. Unless…" he looked at Lisa.

"Unless?" she repeated, not understanding.

Gibbs seemed to think about it for a second, before he said, "That boy is sure to have gone to raise the alarm amongst the tribe. The Pelagostos will come looking for us straight away. Therefore, the village will be empty, and if the village is empty, then nobody will be guarding Jack, and if nobody's guarding Jack…" he looked up, eyes sparkling, "Then…we can save him!"

"What? _We?_" said Lisa, "Ah, Gibbs? Maybe you haven't noticed, but we've still got a cage that probably weights like all of us put together to carry around with us."

"By thunder, you're right lass!" he exclaimed, "And that's exatly why you should go save him!"

"_What?_"

"We can't get out of this cage, but _you_ can! If you slip through the bars and make a run for it, we'll distract the Pelagostos, while you go and fetch Jack. We'll meet down by the sea, where we left the Pearl."

"Gibbs," interrupted Will, "Are you sure of this?"

"It's the only chance we have of saving Jack, lad," he answered, and they all raised their heads in alarm when they heard the drums suddenly stop playing, "They're coming!" exlcaimed Gibbs, "Quick, we haven't a moment to lose! Lass, get out of here! Men, lift this damn cage up so she can pass!"

The pirates hoised the cage as best as they could, and Lisa squished herself between the small opening through which she'd passed her legs. Incredibly, Gibbs's idea worked: she managed to pass through the bars, and found herself free at last. She stood up and wiped her sleeves, before turning to face her fellow pirates, still trapped inside the orb.

"Run like the devil himself is upon you, and get Jack out of there!" ordered Gibbs, "We'll meet at the shore!"

They heard noises approaching, and the men urged Lisa to move. She hastily turned on her heels and leaped forward, sprinting towards the village and running as fast as her legs could carry her. She didn't dare look back, and prayed nobody was following her. At last, she crossed a familiar-looking bridge, and arrived in the same area where she'd first met Jack.

Now, however, instead of standing royally on the throne, the Captain was all tied up to a log, and set over a gigantic burning fire. He was desperately trying to blow on it to keep the flames away, but Lisa could tell he was in serious trouble.

"Jack!" she called out, and he jerked his head towards her.

"_You!_" he exlaimed, surprised to see her there, "How did you-?"

"Do you think this is the time for explanations?" she asked impatiently, as she rushed over to him and examined the situation, quickly considering what she could do. Fortunately for her, the fire had only just begun, so the flames hadn't burned all the wood yet. Still, she had to find a solution fast, or Jack would be burned to a crisp. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw what she hoped was a wooden bucket of water. She hurried to fetch it, and without hesitation she threw it on the flames, spraying Jack as well. The flames sizzled and the fire burned out.

"Well done, luv!" said Jack, before adding, "Now, if you don't mind…get me _out of here_!"

Lisa quickly stepped onto the fire's ashes and began undoing the laces that were tied around Jack's ankles, so that he could stand. The ropes loosened within seconds, and he set his feet down. Then, the girl did the same with the ropes around his torso, and lastly, she freed his wrists. He pushed the log he'd been tied to aside, and stood up, massaging his wrists.

"Thanks, darlin'," he said, looking at Lisa. She felt her cheeks begin to blush, but a sudden noise caught their attention. They jerked their heads in the direction Lisa had come from.

"The Pelagostos!" she gasped, "They're coming back!"

Without a second thought, Jack grabbed her hand and pulled her in the opposite direction the noise was coming from. The girl, feeling dizzy at the thought that she was actually _holding hands_ with the pirate she fancied, followed him without protesting. The two fled through the village, searching for an escape and all the while hearing the angry Pelagostos' yells behind them.

"Where are the others?" Jack asked, as he kept on running.

"Gibbs said to meet them on the beach," answered Lisa, and he nodded.

They began to head towards the forest, which Jack knew would lead them to the beach.

"Don't worry luv," he called reasurringly over his shoulder, "We'll make it out of this."

"Of course we will!" said Lisa, "You're Captain Jack Sparrow, after all!"

Though they were in danger, Jack couldn't help turn to look at her with a grin of satisfaction when he heard this. "I like you!" he commented, and Lisa blushed.

They crossed the last of the village's bridges, and finally entered the lush jungle through which Lisa had first arrived. Their path began to wind downward, and they were forced to slow down a bit to avoid slipping on the rocky ground. If Lisa was correct, by now the others would be waiting for them on the Pearl. She could only hope things were still going to go as they did in the movie, since she'd changed the story by saving Jack instead of letting him save himself.

"Well," she thought, "If we're still being chased by the Pelagostos, I guess I haven't changed all thet much after all. Let's just pray we're not too early before we- AAAAAH!"

She let out a shrill scream as something grabbed her by the ankle, sweeping her clear off her feat and into the air: she'd fallen into a trap! The Pelagostos evidently had some ready throughout the forest, and she'd been so unlucky to trip into one!

"JACK!" She called out in panic, to no avail, since the pirate had, of course, already noticed her when he'd felt her hand suddenly be tugged away from his.

"Oh bugger," he commented, and Lisa couldn't repress a giggle hearing the tone with which he said it and the comical look that was on his face.

"Find the rope!" said Lisa, referring to the one holding her up, which had to be tied somewhere.

"What?" he asked, puzzled.

"_THE ROPE!"_ Lisa repeated anxiously, hearing the Pelagostos getting hearer, "Find where they've tied it and bring me down!"

"Oh, right!" said Jack, finally understanding. He closed one eye and focused on the thick vine bidning Lisa's ankle. Then, he began tracing a path in midair with his finger, following its trail through the trees until at last he saw the trunk to which it was tied. "Ah-ha!" he exclaimed triumphantly.

"Jack, move! They're almost here!" Lisa urged him.

"Not a problem, luv!" he replied, swiftly making his way through the bushes and branches, and finally reaching the trunk, "I've got it!" He hastily began to untie the rope, and was about to gently set Lisa back on the ground when he noticed a gigant spider climbing up his arm. "AAAH!" he gasped, jumping in alarm and accidentally letting go of the vine.

"Wha-AAAH!" Lisa yelled, falling to the ground and landing with a painfully solid thud. Fortunatelly, she landed on her backside, though that didn't necessarily make the fall any lighter. "Ouch!" she said, rubbing her back. Jack had rushed over to her.

"Are you all right, luv?" he asked, concerned, leaning besides her.  
"I'm fine," she growled, slightly annoyed.

"I'm so sorry, that darn arachnid sneaked up on me!" he said, leering in the spider's direction.

To their unpleasant surprise, they heard the Pelagostos abruptly come crashing out of the trees, just a few feet away from them. Lisa stared: the whole _tribe_ was after them! Without further hesitance, she sprung back on her feet, suddenly forgetting about the fall.

"Never mind!" she said, "Let's go!"

This time, she was the one to grab Jack's hand and pull him away, and the two sprinted once again towards the beach. Lisa's legs began to feel numb from all that running and her fall, but she kept on going. Jack was right besides her, and at last the forest's round gave way to a soft, white sand, and the forest opened onto the beach. The view was actually quite dazzling, but of course they didn't have time to admire it. Jack turned sharply, and Lisa followed him suit as they made their way across the sandy landscape.

Finally, to Lisa's relief, they rounded a corner and saw what they were looking for: the _Black Pearl,_ washed up on shore, with Gibbs, Will and the rest of the crew scurring around it to push it back into the water. Lisa saw Gibbs yell something, and she recognized the conversation that followed between him and Will from the movie. Gibbs had just ordered his mates to climb on the Pearl. Will turned to him, protesting that he wouldn't leave without Jack. At that exact moment, Jack called out to them, to warn them they were coming.

"OI!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, and Will and Gibbs turned.

Lisa saw Will smile, and she knew it was because he hadn't yet seen the tribe. Indeed, moments later, as the Pelagostos rounded the corner as well, she saw his expression change, and right after that she saw him and the rest of the crew start to frantically scramble aboard the ship.

Meanwhile, Jack and Lisa hurried to catch up with them. On screen, this scene had always been quite amusing for Lisa, but now that _she_ herself was running alongside Jack, the situation didn't seem that funny at all. In fact, the girl was scared out of her wits. She saw the scruffy dog from the film watch them pass by, standing peacefully on the sand.

"Good doggy!" both she and Jack exclaimed. Jack glanced at her, puzzled, and she merely smiled.

At last, they plunged into the water and waded up to the Pearl's side. They took hold of the ladder the crew had swung overboard and climbed it just as the ship sank back into the water. Lisa, being the first one on the ladder, heaved herself up the stairs. Jack, however, stood hanging below her and, turning towards the Pelagostos, who looked disappointed and sad, he proclaimed:

"Alas, my children! This is the day you will always remember this as the day when you almost-"

"Jack, watch out!" shouted Lisa, but too late: a wave crashed into Jack, drowning his words. The pirate was left soaked wet, and his expression made Lisa burst out laughing.

"-Captain Jack Sparrow," he finished, before turning to Lisa, "All right, forget about that. Go on luv, let's get on board! I've got a ship to command!"


	4. Aboard the Pearl

**A/N: ****Ta-daa!! I'm back with the next chapter!! Hooray! Sorry for the delay guys, writing this fic is turning out to be way more difficult than I thought, because I constantly have to keep track with what happens in the movie…oh well. I'm sure you'll forgive me, ei? ;)**

**In exchange, here is the third chapter…we're starting to get things moving here!! Yay!**

**I promise the next update won't take as long ) **

**Enjoy, and please review! See ya!**

**Xoxox**

**Kayla **

_**Chapter Three:**__**Aboard the Pearl**_

Lisa and Jack climbed aboard and heaved themselves over the ship's railing and onto the main deck, where the crew was busy bustling to get the ship going. As soon as Jack appeared, two pirates rushed forward, covering him with his coat.

One of them was slim, had rumpled-up light brown hair, and a fake eye. The other was considerably larger than him, with his large belly left bare amongst his outfit, and the few hairs he had messily standing around his head. Both were, of course, wearing pirate clothes, and although she hadn't seen them on the island earlier, Lisa recognized them immediately as Pintel and Ragetti.

Jack leered at them, and they smiled awkwardly, bowing their heads in respect and then backing off, leaving Jack and Lisa alone. This, however, wasn't for long, since Gibbs joined them a moment after.

"Let's put some distance between us and this island and head out to open sea," he suggested.

"Yes to the first, yes to the second," replied Jack, tightening the coat around him, "But only as long as we keep to the shallows as much as possible."

Gibbs looked at him, puzzled, "That seems to be contraddictory, Captain."

Jack reassured him by saying he had every faith in the man's navigational skills to be able to fulfill his commands. Still slightly confused, Gibbs left to give the crew further orders. Jack, on his behalf, turned to Lisa.

"I need a word with you," he began.

Lisa nodded in agreement. "What for?"

Before he could answer, however, they were interrupted by Will's arrival.

"Jack," he called, and the piate turned.

"Ah?" Jack said, as though he'd just noticed Will.

"Elizabeth is in danger," Will began, as Jack started walking towards the upper deck, to the rudder.

"Have you considered keeping a watchful eye on her?" he questioned, "Maybe just lock her up somewhere?"

"But Jack, she _is _locked up! In a prison! She's condemned to hang because of helping _you_!" Will snapped back as they climbed the stairs to the upper deck, Lisa following them and listening closely to the conversation.

"I'm terribly sorry lad," said Jack, "But there comes a moment when one must take responsibility for one's mistakes." Jack meant to put and end to the conversation with this phrase, and moved his attention once again to Lisa. A split moment later, there was a metallic swishing sound.

"Jack, look out!" cried Lisa, and he spun around.

A sword's blade stopped just an inch away from his throat, and he looked up to find Will was the one holding it.

"I need your compass Jack," he said, keeping the blade still, "To trade it for Elizabeth's freedom."

Jack stood still for a moment, before jerking the blade away with a swift movement. Lisa was glad to see Will didn't react to this, but instead stood waiting to hear the pirate's answer. After glaring at Will for another few seconds, Jack turned and marched up to Gibbs, who was at the rudder.

"Mr.Gibbs!" he called out.

"Captain?" answered the other promptly.

"We have a need…to travel up the river," ordered Jack.

Gibbs seemed to grow slightly pale, "You…you mean something like a fleeting need…like a…passing fancy?"

"No," Lisa chimed in, stepping between the two men, "He means a resolute and absolutely unyielding need, I'm afraid."

Both of the men stared at her, surprised by her answer. She merely returned their glance and shrugged at Jack.

"Like she said," he told Gibbs, jerking his head towards Lisa. Then, he moved over to the deck's rail, above the lower deck. Lisa and Will joined him.

"What do you mean?" Will protested, "What we _need_ is to make sail for Port Royal! And with all haste!"

Jack, who had set his gaze on the horizon, didn't reply straight away. At last, he spoke.

"William," he said, "I shall trade to you the compass, if you will help me," he reached inside his coat and pulled out a damp piece of parchment, unrolling it in front of them: on it, there was a drawing of a very familiar-looking key, "To find _this_."

Will examined the picture, confused, frowning, "You want me to find _this_?" he demanded.

"No," Lisa answered for Jack,"Actually, he'd want _you_ to want you to find that. If that makes sense, anyway."

Will blinked, still perplexed, before asking, "Why?"

Jack opened his mouth to speak, but again, Lisa interrupted him, "Because, dear William," she walked over from Jack's side and stepped between him and Will, "The finding of this here key supposedly would find you finding a way to save your beloved…ah, whatsherface."

Jack was once again taken aback by the girl's attitude, but seeing what she'd said was exactly what he'd wanted to say, he merely nodded and added, looking at Will, "Savvy?"

"So…this key is going to free Elizabeth?" Will was honestly having a hard time understanding the two.

"Not exactly," Lisa began, but this time Jack shot her a fired look and didn't allow her to go on.

"Tell me Will," he then asked the boy, "How much do you know about Davy Jones?"

"Not much," came the answer, and Jack grinned, pleased to hear that.

"Yes, it's going to help Elizabeth," he then said.

"All right, I'll help you," Will promised.

The Captain nodded and then stayed where he was, observing his men as they guided the ship towards their destination. Will, on the other hand, walked slowly to the rail, leaning over the side of the ship and gazing at the open sea.

"Oh, _brother_!" Lisa exclaimed to herself, rolling her eyes at Will's blind trust in Jack. She stomped in front of him and stopped, hands on her hips. He looked up at her, with a questioning face.

"That's _it_?" she asked simply.

"Beg your pardon?" asked Will.

"He gives you one answer, and you accept that without question?"

"Why shouldn't I? I trust Jack."

"You trust –" the girl interrupted herself. She was tempted to tell Will the truth: how Jack was actually deceiving him, and how he would soon get him into _very_ serious trouble. And of course, she _could've_ told him, but if she had, she'd change the entire course of events, and she didn't know what consequences that could lead to. So, she simply sigh and said, "Fine. You're right, he's probably more trustworthy than I think."

"Well, I should hope so," replied Will, with a slight grin. She returned the grin, leaning her back on the rail besides him. "It's strange," he said after a moment's silence, "You've come into my life unexpectedly out of nowhere and saved me from a horrible death, and I don't even know your name." He turned to lean his back on the rail as well.

Lisa smiled at his remark. "You're right, I haven't introduced myself properly. I'm…" for a moment, she hesitated, unsure whether to tell him her real name or not, but she quickly opted for the former, "Lisa." She said, holding out her hand.

He shook it, "All right, Lisa. Pleasure to meet you, and," he grinned again, "Thank you for saving my life."

"The pleasure's all mine, and," she looked at him intently, "You're welcome."

"If you two are done amusing yourselves," Jack chimed in, "I'd like a word with the girl."

"All right, I'll just leave you two alone then," said Will, getting up, but Jack stopped him.

"That's fine, mate, you can stay. I think you'll want to hear this." Will returned to his position.

"So, luv" Jack began turning to Lisa, "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Not at all," she answered, "Go ahead, Captain."

"How on _earth_ did you end up on that Godforsaken cursed island?"

"Why would you want to know that?" Lisa tried to act light-heartedly, although her mind was racing: she knew he'd ask this sooner or later, and she had to find a believable answer.

"Well," he said, beginning to pace back and forth in front of her, jesturing, "The only way to reach it is by sea, savvy?" she nodded, and he proceeded to marching, "Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but that would mean you should've come by _water_, ei?" again, she nodded, and as he kept walking, he placed a hand under his chin, frowning, "And yet, strangely, the Pelagostos told me they found you lieing on the forest floor, unconscious. But nobody from the tribe dragged you there from the beach, nor did anybody find any such thing that could resemble ship on shore. Now luv, my question's quite simple really," he stopped in front of her, "If you weren't on the beach and there wasn't any type of vessel around…how exactly _did_ you get there?"

"Ah," Lisa said, mentally whacking her brain to come up with a story, and fast, "Ok, so…so you want to know my…my story, right?"

Jack tilted his head sideways, looking bemusedly at her, "Aye. Do tell, missy, if you don't mind. I'm curious." Will was listening as well.

"All right," answered Lisa, trying to sound confident, "Truth be told, I didn't _choose _to arrive on that particular island, actually."  
"Go on," Jack encouraged her, frowning as he tried to understand what she meant.

"You see," she began, making up her phrases as she said them, "My…my ship got trapped in a storm, and we…we were dragged inside a hurricane –ah - not two nights ago, and then, I was…I was thrown overboard, like the rest of my crew…that is, I suppose," she paused for a moment, and both men's attention seemed concentrated on her story, "And…and then, _after_ I fell into the water, of course, I fell unconscious, and…and I didn't wake up until this morning. And I _was_, in fact, lieing on the beach, but…but I was so weak, that I was only able to drag myself up to the forest, you know, to find some shade. I passed out again right after, so… yeah, I guess that's when the Pelagostos must have found me. There, that's my story. Satisfied?"

"Absolutely, luv," answered Jack, in a tone ambiguously between sarcasm and seriousness,"And…what did you say your name was?"

"Lisa," Will answered for her, and when both she and Jack turned to look at him, he smiled at her.

"Lisa," echoed Jack, nodding in understandment, "All right luv, I am greately thankful for your answer, and I apologize for bothering you. Now, normally I wouldn't allow a woman to stay onboard, but since you've saved my life I feel the need to thank you properly. So, you're welcome to stay aboard with us, just as long as you stay out of the way and don't cause any trouble, savvy?" he explained, marching back towards the rudder.

"Aye, Jack."

"Oh, and another thing, luv?" he said, spinning around. She waited. "It's _Captain_ Jack, if you don't mind."

She smirked, "Of course, _Captain_."

Jack tilted his head slightly, with a 'that's better' look on his face, and then left. Lisa sigh with relief: for a moment, she'd honestly feared Jack wouldn't believe her story and throw her overboard. All right, maybe not throw her overboard, but still, who could tell what he could've done? He _was_ a pirate, after all.

"Great," she wondered out loud, looking at Will, "Now what?"

"Sorry?" he asked.

"I said, now what? You know, as in…what are we going to do now?"

Will thought about it for a moment, "Well…nothing, really."

"Ah…ok, let me rephrase that: how long is it gonna take to go to…" she bit her tounge: although she knew where they were going, she also knew Will didn't, and she couldn't tell him, "…er - wherever it is we're going?"

"I don't know, exactly," said Will, shrugging, "Probably six, seven hours at least."

"Six_ hours_?" Lisa repeated, horrified, "_What_? You mean we're stuck on this ship in the middle of the ocean for six hours…and there's _nothing_ to do?"

"Not really," he answered, unable to understand why she was so surprised. What did she expect to do on a ship, anyway? "Unless you're one of the crewmembers. Then you're mostly busy handling the ship, although…I don't reckon Jack would agree on letting you work with the men. You can ask him, if you like."

Lisa snorted, "Yeah, _that's_ gonna happen!"

She knew exactly what Will meant by "ship handling": she'd studied enough about pirate history to know what kind of gruesome duties the sailors had to tend to. The pirate ships were known for their filthy state, seeing that – Lisa thought with a slight smirk – no woman was ever allowed on board, and therefor the cleaning and tiding up was left to the sailors.

Now, Lisa had just left behind a world where she had to _constantly_ clean up everything…did Will _really_ think she was going to ask Jack _permission_ to spend six hours swabbing the deck and swiping the cabins? No, thank you very much.

Instead, she slumped down on the stairs and leaned her head back, taking in the hot Caribbean sun and feeling the heat from the rays prickle her skin.

"Now _this_ is something I could do," she murmured, relaxing her muscles.

Will saw her and shook his head, smiling and rolling his eyes, before waking away. She was left alone, and closed her eyes. She heard the other crewmembers moving and talking around her, but she didn't bother much. And a short while later, the exhaustion from all the commotion she'd been through caught up with her, and she began drifting off into a light sleep. After what felt like ages, but were really five minutes, she felt someone shake her awake.

"Hmm? Who? What? Where?" she asked, jumping out of her daze, alarmed. She saw Jack kneeling besides her, "Oh, it's you," she said, "What's wrong?"

"You're sprawled over the stairs, that's what's wrong," he anwered, "How are my men supposed to pass through here? Didn't I tell you to stay out of the way?" he said it sternly, but then, seeing the poor girl was having a hard time keeping her eyes open, he softened, "Come on, lass. Let's get you a bed where you can rest a bit more properly." He straightened up and offered her a hand, which she took. He pulled her on her feet, and she staggered slighty, "Careful, luv." He said, "You all right?" She nodded, "Good. All right, follow me, I'll show you to my room."

"Your…your _room?"_ Lisa repeated, sudenly very awake. She'd imagined Jack was a very forward man, but this _really_ seemed too quick for her taste, "Mister Sparrow," she said, acting upset and crossing her arms across her chest, "If you think I will fall into your bed this easily, I-"

Jack rolled his eyes and sigh: what was this girl _thinking? _"Luv," he interrupted her, "Look, I don't _want_ to take you into my bed. I have a ship to command, savvy? I'm just going to take you into my cabin and let you rest there until we reach our destination." Seeing she still wasn't completely convinced, he too crossed his arms in front of his chest and added, "Either that, or I can send you to the brig, if you prefet the rats' company."

Lisa shruddered at the thought, "N-no, that's…that's fine, Captain. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you." She mentally kicked herself: what was _wrong_ with her? Jack was trying to be nice to her, and what did she do? Practically call him a perv! Geez! _"Way to go, idiot,"_ she thought to herself as she followed Jack.

The Captain led her to the door of his quarters, and opened the door for her. He then took his hat off and bowed politely.

"Milady," he said, "It is my pleasure to welcome you to my humble cabin."

Lisa stepped inside and examined the room: it was exactly as she'd imagined it, decorated like a typical ship's cabin, with a large bed in one corner, a table loaded with papers and maps in another, and a chandelier hanging from the cieling.

"You like it?" he asked.

"I do, Jack," she said, turning to face him, "Thank you for letting me stay here."

"You're welcome, luv," he replied, beaming, "Now don't worry about anything else and go get some rest, ei? You'll need the strenght. I'll come wake you up when we arrive."

Lisa wanted to say something, but he silenced her with a kiss on the cheek, before tipping his tricorn to her and heading off, closing the door behind him. He was gone before the girl was able to do anything.

She stood still, frozen on the spot, her mind blocked as her hand slowly rose to her cheek, and a single thought crossed her mind.

Had Jack just _kissed_ her?


	5. Up the River

**A/N: ****Yaaay! Chapter four is up!! All right, just so you know, this part took AGES to write, because it was SUCH a complex scene! But anyway, I'm glad to have finshed it, please read and review as always, my fellow PotC fans!!**

**And thank you for your support, it really means a lot to me!**

**I hope the next chapter won't take as long…**

**Oh well, in the meantime, here's the next one!**

**Love to all**

**Kayla**

**-----------------**

_**Chapter Four: Up the River**_

Lisa's eyes shot open. She felt dizzy from the dream she'd just had. She'd dreamt she had fallen straight into Pirates of the Caribbean, after her computer had crashed down while playing the movie.

"My _God_, that was weird!" she said, "End up in a movie...imagine _that_!" she laughed at the thought. No sooner had she done that, that she heard the door open. She hastily pulled herself up, and nearly yelled when she realized where she was and, most of all, who was standing at the door.

"JACK!" She exclaimed, "Oh my God!"

She felt her heart pounding in her chest, as very slowly, she began to remember everything that had happened, and realized that she _hadn't_ been dreaming after all.

"What's the matter, luv?" asked Jack, surprised by her fright.

"I…I'm sorry, I had a dream that I…" she stopped: what was she _doing? _She couldn't blow her own cover! "…I mean…oh, never mind!" She got up from bed and straightened out her outfit, "Are we there?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Aye," came the answer, "But you might want to stay here, I don't know if…"

"Oh no, _forget it_, Jack!" she immediately interrupted him, "I am most certainly _not_ going to stay here and bore myself to death, thank you!"

"As you wish," he said, "But you better hurry, then. We're about to leave."

"Fine, I'm ready," she walked up besides him and beckoned him to follow her, "Come on, let's go."

Jack grinned at the girl's stubborness, and the two of them joined Will and Gibbs, who were getting ready to climb overboard and into one of the small boats waiting for them in the water. Jack stepped over the railing and down the ladder, after giving the rest of the crew orders for while they were away. Meanwhile, as soon as he saw Lisa, Will smiled in salute.

"Did you rest?" he wanted to know.

"Yes," she answered, "Not sure how long I've been out, but it helped."

Will nodded, "Good. Come, let's go before Jack starts throwing a fit."

She giggled and went down the ladder after him, landing inside a second boat and swaying from the waves. She fell forward, but promptly regained her balance, and then sat down besides Will. She noticed that Gibbs, Pintel, Ragetti and Marty were in their same boat, whilst Jack was standing in front of them, on another one, along with Cotton and another pirate.

The group started rowing across the ocean, heading towards the mouth of a gigantic river that was flowing into the sea. It took them quite some time to get there, and once they did, they began travelling upriver.

Not long after, they entered a swamp surrounded by thick, damp vegetation. So thick, in fact, that even the sun's rays were mostly blocked out, so that it looked as though evening had suddenly fallen. Here and there, the sun filtered throught the branches, giving off an eerie atmosphere. Lisa shruddered.

"Why does it look like Jack's afraid of the ocean?" asked Will, breaking the silence as the boats continued streaming across the swamp.

"Well," answered Gibbs, "You see Will, if you believe such things, it is said that there is a beast that does the bidding of Davy Jones. A fearsome creature, with giant tentacles that can suction your face clean off and drag an entire ship down to the crushing darkness," he paused, "The Kraken. They say the stench of its breath is…" he shruddered, "Imagine: the last thing you know on God's green earth is the roar of the Kraken, and the reeking odor of a thousand rotting corpses…If you believe such things, of course."

"So I see…" commented Will, "Finding Davy Jones's key will spare Jack this fate then?"

"That's the very question Jack wants answered, and he wants it answered bad."

"Bad enought even to go visit _her,_" Lisa added with a smirk.

"Her?" echoed Will, raising an eyebrow. Lisa waved her hand as though it wasn't important, although she knew the meeting they were about to have was going to be extremely singificant…and not just for Jack.

After what felt like ages to Lisa, they finally reached an opening in the swamp, where a wooden hut stood rising above the water. The two boats docked to a small platform set just below the hut, and Jack rose to his feet, stepping onto the landing.

"No worries, mates," he said, "Tia Dalma and I go way back."

"Thick as thieves, ei?" said Lisa, sarcastically anticipating his line.

Jack stared at he for a moment, frowning slightly, before nodding and grinning again, "Aye. Nigh inseparable, we are – er, were."

"Have been?" Lisa suggested, eyebrows raised.

He nodded, "Aye, that."

"I'll watch your back, Capt'n," assured Gibbs.

"It's his _front _he should be worried about," grumbled Lisa, before following them up the ladder that lead to the shack's entrance. Jack hesitated for a moment, his fist raised to knock on the door, but then decided against it and simply opened it, cautiously creeping inside.

"Jack Sparrow," said a female voice moments later.

Lisa, being behind Gibbs and Will, wasn't yet able to see inside the hut, but she knew who the voice belonged to. And sure enough, as soon as she managed to step inside, she saw just the woman she was expecting.

"Tia Dalma," Jack greeted her, beaming with his arms open wide in an apparently friendly jesture.  
The black woman moved closer to him, swaying her hips and grinning maliciously. Her dress was tattered and old, and her face was covered in strange markings.

"I always knew da wind was going to blow you back to me one day," she said.  
She suddenly spotted Will, and turning serious, she said, approaching him, "You…you have a touch a'…destinee abou' you…William…Turnah."

Will looked shocked to hear her say his name, "You…know me?"

Once again, she merely grinned and answered, "You wan' to know me?"

"I don't think so," Lisa suddenly snapped, stepping in between Tia and Will.

Tia observed Lisa for a second, and then said, almost solemnly "You have a wild spirit, child. But be careful, dat can be dangerous at times…"

"Well said," Jack approoved, intevening and addressing Tia, "We've come for help, and we're not leaving without it," he lead Tia away from Will, "Don't mind the girl, she's really quite harmless. And besides…I thought I knew you?"

"Not as well as I'd hoped," Tia replied, apparently upset, "Come."

She beckoned them to follow her to the back of the hut, and they did, until they reached a spot where a wooden table was set. Will sat down on a stool besides the table, while Jack, Gibbs and the others stood on their feet. On her behalf, Lisa stood a bit parted from the group, arms folded across her chest, and looked around the room: what seemed like hundreds of jars, filled with the most various and disgursting things the girl could think of, were hanging off from the ceiling. Most of the other surfaces were crammed with all sorts of objects, from books to maps to practically anything else. And of course, most of the space room was taken up by burning candles.

Tia stood besides Will, and asked, caressing his face, "What service…may I do ya?" Lisa leered at her, and she suddenly jerked her head towards Jack, "You know I deman' payment."

"And I brought payment," Jack gladly announced, jesturing for his mates to pass him a covered cage Lisa hadn't noticed before. "Look," said Jack, unveiling the cage and showing Jack the mokey inside. H took out his gun and shot the monkey, who screeched but showed no trace of injury, "An undead mokey! Top that!"

And he handed the cage over to Tia, who let the monkey out. It ran away from them, to a small room whos entrance was partially covered by a curtain. It stopped at the foot of some sort of low table. Lisa, noticing this, narrowed her eyes: was what – or better, _who _- she thought actually lieng in that back room?

Slowly, she turned to see what the others were up to: seeing they were apparently busy with their own discussion, she turned again towards the hidden room, and silently started to make her way in that direction. She managed to creep along the short distance, and swiftly glided behind the curtain and inside the room without being seen.

Finally safely hidden behind the wall, she let out a sigh of relief, and then moved her gaze downward. She saw that the monkey was indeed sitting at the far edge of a low-rising bed, and the person she saw on top of it made her gasp. She clasped her hand to her mouth, trying to control herself but feeling her heartbeat quicken.

There, right before her eyes, was another Captain, whom she also knew very well.

"C...Captain Barbossa?" she asked quietly, her voice barely more than a whisper.

The pirate was lieing down, his head tilted towards the ceiling and his arms crossed above his chest. He seemed to be breathing with difficulty, as though each breath caused him pain. His hat and coat had been removed, so that he was wearing only a plain white shirt and a bandana. Lisa noticed a red splotch of blood was staining his shirt, right where his heart was, and a white bandage was wrapped around him to cover his wound.

Lisa knew that Jack had been the one to shoot him down, back in the first movie, and she also knew that Tia was the one who'd brought him back to life. But still, physically seeing him so suddenly had pretty much shocked her. When he heard her cal out his name, he forced himself to lift his head up and looked at her.

"Who…who are ye?" he demanded, frowning.

"I…I'm just a visitor, Captain," she said, feeling great reverence towards him, even in his currently wounded and helpless state.

"Come closer," he said, narrowing his eyes, "I can't see ye properly."

Lisa slowly took a few steps towards the bed, and gently knelt besides him. He examined the girl's face, as though trying to place her in his memory.

"Do I know ye?" he finally asked.

Lisa shook her head, "I don't believe so."

"What's yer name, lass?"

"Lisa."

"What the devil are ye doin' here, Lisa?"

The girl gulped, "I've…I've come with…with my mates."

"There's someone else visitin' this crazy ol' witch?" he wanted to know, "Who in his right mind…" he cut off the sentence, his eyes suddenly moving towards the monkey and then widening, as he understood, "Jack Sparrow?"

Lisa hesitated for a moment, but then nodded slowly. After all, he'd figured it out sooner or later anyway, right?

"Tha' good for nothin' bag o' scum is here?"

"Yes," confirmed Lisa, "He…he's come to seek for Tia Dalma's help."

"What fer?"

The girl bit her lip, unsure of what to answer. "_Why couldn't I just stay where I was and mind my own business?"_ she thought.

For her luck, their conversation was interrupted when Tia suddenly entered the room, pushing the curtain aside. Lisa knew she was looking for something for Jack. The priestess stopped in her tracks, and her eyes slowly moved from the girl to Barbossa.

"So, you found 'im," she finally stated, raising her chin and looking expectantly at Lisa.

"I…I'm sorry, I didn't mean any harm," the girl began, but Tia raised a hand to interupt her.

She moved closer to her, "I know you are not what you seem, Lisa," she said, "I can feel it. I am not going to ask of your story, but," she warned, "Know this: you should not play with destiny, for destiny doesn't like to be played around with."

Lisa didn't know what to say, so she merely nodded and said, referring to Barbossa, "I promise I won't tell anybody about him."

Tia nodded in agreement, "Aye.You're lucky, they didn't notice you were gone," she turned, rummaging amongst her belongings and finally finding what she was looking for. Holding a big jar filled with dirt, she handed it over to Lisa and said, "Take dis to them, an' pretend nothing's happen'd."

Lisa took the vase and, before leaving, looked once more at Barbossa. She bowed her head in respect, "Goodbye, Captain. I am glad to have met you, and…I wish you a quick recovery."

He bowed his head back to her, "Likewise, Miss Lisa, an' thank ye."

She nodded once last time, and then finally stepped back into the other room, with Tia joining her a few moments later. Lisa carried the jar to Jack and offered it to him.

"Here, take this," she said, and he did, looking perplexed.

"Davy Jones cannot make port," Tia was explaining, "An' 'e cannot step on land but once every ten years. Land is where you will be safe, Jack Sparrow, and so…you will carry land with you."

Jack examined the jar, before stating, "Dirt. This…this is a jar. Of dirt."

"Yes," Tia agreed.

"And is the…jar…of dirt…going to help?"

"Well, if you don't want it, Jack, give it back!" exclaimed Lisa. Tia beamed at her.

Jack clutched the jar more closely, as though afraid someone would take it from him, "No!"

"Then it helps," concluded Tia. She returned to the table, where Will was still sitting.

"It seems," he said, "That we now need help to find the Flying Dutchman."

Tia sat down and took a clump of little odd objects in her hand, shaking them and lowering her head, "A touch…" she said, "Of destiny!" and she threw the objects on the table.

They stood in silence for a moment, slowly realizing she'd just drawn a map for them. The pirates began to try and understand it, and Jack walked up besides Lisa, still holding the jar of dirt.

"It seems," Lisa said, peering at him intently, "That we have a heading."

"So it would seem, luv," he answered, "So it would seem."


	6. Caught in a Storm

**A/N: Hello, mates! I'm here to update! Sorry it took a while, I was away on vacantion:D I hope I didn't keep you waiting for TOO long… Anyhow I'm back now, and I'd like to thank you all for reviewing my story and/or adding it to your favourites/alerts! Thanks, guys! Candy to you all! (I'm feeling generous today:P)**

**So…for my reviewers…**

**A Forgotten Fairy, ****thanks for the compliment, I'm glad you liked the meeting! ;)**

**Kayley Taylor, ****thanks for reviewing, and…yes, it WAS ****the**** Jar of Dirt! Lol:D**

**CaptainSparrow-luv, ****thank you so much ! **

**TheFutureMrsTurner, ****thanks for the compliment as well!**

**mysterious victoria, ****HA! Yeah, I see you HAVE reviewed, so thanks…I think you'll like this chappie a lot..eheh… (you'll see why when you read it!)**

**dog youkai jane, ****oh yes, you can bet someone WILL get annoyed sooner or later:P**

**Enough blabbering, here is the next chapter! Hope you like it…tell me what you think, guys! I promise to update again ASAP!**

**I'll look out for your comments! Love to all,**

**XOXO**

**Kayla**

**p.s. the title can actually be interpreted in TWO ways…read on to figure out what I mean ;) see you!**

_**Caught in a Storm**_

"Is it EVER going to stop raining?" Lisa angrily hollered above the rain.

The crew was back aboard the _Pearl_, and they were currently caught inside a tropical rainstorm. Water from the sky and the sea slashed at everyone's faces and bodies, as their clothes stuck to their skin. Lisa had never before been under the rain like this: she was _soaking_ wet. And she was definitely _not_ enjoying it.

"Patience, luv!" Jack yelled back at her, as he held onto the railing of the upper deck, "We're almost there!"

They were sailing towards the direction Tia had pointed out to them, but it seemed to be getting them nowhere. For hours the crew had been stumbling across the deck, as the waves continuously shook the ship violently.

The objects standing around them tripped and rolled over as well, so that now and then someone had to jump aside to avoid being hurt. Indeed, moments later, just as Lisa was yelling, "I'm going undercover!" to Jack, she saw Will look in her direction, as his eyes widened.

"LISA! LOOK OUT!" He yelled, and she spun around just in time to see a heavy box rolling her way. She let out a shrill yell and quickly leapt aside, avoiding collision for a spare moment.

However, being caught off guard, she misplaced her foot and fell forward, tumbling on the hard wood of the floor and landing just besides the steps that lead to the upper deck. She straightened herself up, still sitting with her eyes closed and an arm leaning against the wall for support, feeling her heart beating quickly in her chest. She had never been in a situation like this before, and she was now seriously beginning to question her own safety. She trembled with fright, feeling a burning sensation above her eyebrow. Lifting a shaking hand, she touched that spot, and trembled even more when she retrieved it and saw it stained with the red of her own blood.

"Lisa?"

She jerked her head up: it was Will, standing before her and looking at her with concern. A soon as he eyed her cut, he didn't ask for any explanations. All he did was say, "Let's get you out of this rain."

He then leaned forward and gently took her arm, draping it around his shoulder and pulling her on her feet. Suddenly feeling more protected, she followed him without protesting. The two of them steadily walked across the deck, step after step, untill they reached Jack's quarters. Without hesitating, Will flung the door open, and they went inside. He closed the door behind them. Lisa was still shaking, and her cheeks were turning red as she felt the fisical contact between them. Will guided her to a chair and helped her sit down: she seemed to be in shock.

"Are you all right?" he asked, bending down on one knee in front of her, still examining her cut.

"NO!" she yelled all of a sudden, glancing once more at her blood-stained hand, her temper coming to an end, "I am NOT all right, ok? I hate that we're stuck in a stupid tropical storm, looking for a ship that obviously isn't here! I hate that we're all soaking wet and freezing, and yet it seems like I'm the only one who cares! And I _hate_ the fact that I can't even _stand _on a bloody deck without risking to be squished to a pulp or get cut open like a slice of bread!"

Will stared at her, astonished by her reaction. She knew he had nothing to do with it, but she couldn't help it: of all things, never could she have imagined it to be so awful to stay aboard a ship in such conditions. It was just another one of those things that looked amazing on screen, but that were turning out to be not all that enjoyable. But most of all, she was just scared, especially from the sight of the blood.

"All right, just try to calm down, okay?" he said, trying to reassure her, "You're safe now. We're not in the best situation, that's true, but we'll get out of the storm soon, understand?"

She nodded and gulped, "I…I'm sorry for yelling at you," she apologized, feeling guilty for spilling her anger out on him.

"It's all right," he said, smiling kindly, "I understand. You're a bit shaken, that's all. You had a horrible experience with a storm, getting shipwrecked on the island…it's fine. You don't have to excuse yourself for being afraid. I'm actually surprised you managed to stay on deck until now!"

It took Lisa a moment to realize what he was talking about: of course! He was referring to her "supposed" shipwreck with which she'd reached the Pelagostos Island! How could she forget?

"Oh…yes," she replied, smiling slightly, "Yes, I…I guess I got scared, that's all."

Without saying anything, Will turned serious and reached out, touching her wound lightly. She winced, and he hastily retrieved his hand.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, "Hands of a blacksmith…not exactly gentle."

"That's ok," she said, "It just stings a little."

He nodded, "We need to get that cleaned." He stood up and started looking around the cabin, "The cut's not too bad, but it could be dangerous if we don't take care of it."

The ship gave a rough quake, and he stumbled forwards a few step. Lisa gapsed and clutched at the table besides her. Meanwhile, he'd regained his balance and finally found an apparently clean cloth and returned in front of her. He took another chair for himself and sat down just as another wave shook the vessel. His face was now at the same level as hers.

"May I?" he asked her.

"Of course," she answered.

He gently placed a hand under her chin, tilting her head to see the wound better, and started dabbing at the blood as lightly as he could, as not to hurt her. They both felt extremely awkward. On one side, Lisa's heart was speeding up instead of calming down at the feel of his touch, as she stood still while he medicated her. On his behalf, Will was frowning slightly: this scene reminded him of something that had happened to him already…what made it all even more awkward was that even Lisa had that feeling, but this was because she _knew_ that he _had_, in fact, gone through almost the same thing…except with another girl.

There was another quake, and he accidentally pressed the cloth a bit too much on her temple.

"OUCH!" she exclaimed as a jolt of pain shot through her head.

"Sorry!" he said hastily, "I didn't mean to…"

"Don't worry, it wasn't your fault," she once again excused him.

He nodded and returned to medicate the cut. They fell silent once again, as thunder rumbled outside and the waves crashed on the side of the vessel. The room rocked back and forth, and Lisa began to feel dizzy. She closed her eyes slightly.

"So…d-do you have a plan for when…when we reach the Dutchman?" she asked after a while, breaking the silence.

"I do," he answered slowly, "I plan on getting there as fast as I can, find Jack's key, and get back to Port Royal so I can save-"

His sentence was cut off as another wave hit the ship, with a bigger impact than the others. The _Pearl_ shook violently, and Lisa was powerlessly thrown forward, right off her chair. She bumped straight into Will, who opened his arms to catch her, and before either of them knew what was happening, their bodies collided and thei lips locked together.

It was as if Lisa's brain had suddenly frozen: she wasn't able to do anything, if not close her eyes and stand there, in Will's arms. Will didn't react either, but merely closed his eyes as well. Neither of them seemed to realize what was happening, but neither of them broke apart. Instead, he kissed her gently, and she kissed him back. It wasn't a kiss filled with lust or desire; more likely, it was filled with tenderness.

"Oh my God! I can't believe this is happening!" Lisa was shouting in her mind, "This is so crazy!"

All of a sudden, however, the door flung open, and the magic was ruined. The two broke apart, and looked at the doorway: there was Gibbs, looking highly embarassed.

"Er-Capt'n says we're here, Will," he announced, "We…we're waitin' for ye."

He bowed his head slightly and left, closing the door once more. An icy silence filled the room. Neither Will nor Lisa knew what to say. They looked in different directions, searching for the words inside their heads.

"I…" he began.

"Will, I…" she started.

They both shut up and smiled nervously.

"We should go," he stated.

Lisa finally worked up the courage to look at him, and lifted her gaze. Her bright green eyes met his hazel stare, and she smiled in agreement, nodding, "We should."

They stood up: now that they were docked, the ship moved slightly less, although the waves still rocked it. With another nervous glance at Lisa, Will lead the way towards the door, and she followed him as they left the cabin. The rain was still pouring, but it seemed more bearable now. They joined Jack and Gibbs, who were standing besides the ship's rail, staring at the sea, apparently interested in something. Lisa followed their gaze, and saw the wreckage of a ship being beaten by the waves not too far from where they'd stopped.

"Will…Lisa," Jack proclaimed triumphantly, "There…is the Flying Dutchman."


	7. Meeting the Other Captain

**A/N: ****New update! Hooray! All right, to quickly answer all your reviews , which I always LOVE:**

**Kayley Taylor ****…oh yes she did:P**

**dog youkai jane, ****oh yes, I think OC means Original Character but thanks for the info! ;)**

**Peace Like a River****, why thank you mate! Your compliment flatters me:)**

**A Forgotten Fairy, KamceyFan**** Kacie., ****CaptainElizabethTurner, ****XxXPanicAtTheDiscoXxX, DxS Phreak, **** thank you too!**

**Mysterious Victoria, actually I meant that the title could either mean the crew caught in the storm…or Lisa and Will "caught in a storm"…get it? ;P And yes of course the scene mentioned was the one from CotBP**

**Now, to answer all of you**_**: the pairing**_

**Well.**

**How can I explain this? **

**I started this off with a precise one in my head, BUT lately I've decided that I **_**might**_** be changing things around a bit…in other words, I'm **_**not**_** going to tell you what the "final" pairing is going to be, not yet. Please don't hate me, I swear I'm just doing it to make the story more interesting! ;) **

**All I'm going to say about Will and Lisa is this: **_**think Sparrabeth**_**. Ok? ;P I know, I know, it still doesn't really make sense, but I promise I'll make it worth your confusion, ok? **

**Just know that I **_**might**_** just be letting Lisa have –er- more ways of ****choosing****. But of course, there is going to be ONE pairing in the end. And I promise I won't get ridiculous with this (ahem…Lizzie-style,if you get the drift) so once again be assured and don't worry, everything will be cleared…sooner or later!**

**Savvy mates?**

**All clear then?**

**Great,on with the story then !!**

**Lots of love and thanks to all!**

**Xoxo**

**Kayla**

_**Meeting the Other Captain**_

"_That's _the Flying Dutchman?" Will asked in disbelief.

Lisa rolled her eyes to the sky: he just couldn't figure it out, could he? Couldn't he tell Jack was obviously tricking him? Apparently, not. Jack smirked doubfully for a moment, but then nodded confidently at Will.

"Doesn't look like much," Will commented, shrugging.

"Neither do you," replied the Captain, "Yet you shouldn't underestimate it." After a moment's pause, he elbowed Gibbs painfully in the stomach.

"Ouch!" he said, before recomposing himself and hastily saying, "It must've run afoul of the reef!"

Jack nodded in agreeement, "So lad, what's your plan?"

Lisa decided this was the moment for her to go into action. So, suddenly stepping up besides Jack, she proclaimed, "We row over and search the ship until we find your bloody key."

Jack looked at her, but she merely looked right back at him, as though she'd just said something obvious.

"_What_?" exclaimed Will, "You can't be serious!"

"Actually, it so happens that I _am_," she replied.

"You can't come with me!" he argued.

"Why not?"

"It's too dangerous!" Lisa huffed, as if to say _'Big deal'_. "I can't let you do it."

"Well, I'm not asking for permission, am I?" she retorted, starting to feel annoyed. Why wouldn't he just let he _be? _

"But-"

"Don't you-"

"Why do-"

"Just trust-"

"All right, all right, stop it! STOP IT! The both of you!" Jack shouted, fed up with their childish behaviour, "You're getting on my very last nerve! Figure it out by yourselves and let me know when you're done!" And he stormed off, irritared.

Will and Lisa shut up and stayed silent for a moment. Lisa was trying to find a good reason to tell Will why she _should've_ gone with him, but truth was, knowing was was awaiting him she wanted to have the chance to stay with him just a while longer.

At last, she said, "Look, if we both go, it's going to take us half the time to find the key. And if things get dangerous…" the sentence died off. Of _course_ things were going to get dangerous! "…Well, I'll take the risk." She concluded.

Will seemed to think it over for a moment, but finally said, "All right, you can come. But we better hurry. And you have to swear, if there's any trouble and I tell you to go hide, you'll go and hide without arguing, all right?"

"Sure," she said, half-mockingly, following him as he went up to Jack. The pirate turned around when he heard them approaching.

"We're going," announced Will.

"You are?" Jack blinked, apparently surprised, "Oh. So…she's coming too?"

"I am," Lisa answered.

"Oh." Jack repeated simply, and for a fleeting moment, Lisa thought she saw the tiniest hint of disappointment cross his face, before he seemed to mentally shake himself and said, "Very well then, you're off. Gibbs! Get a boat ready for these two!"

Gibbs did as he was told, and Will went with him to see if he needed any help. Jack turned away from Lisa, trying to act nonchalantly as he walked up to the ship's rail and stood there, looking out towards the dark ocean that spread out in front of them. Lisa, however, could tell something wasn't quite right. She stepped up besides him.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

He looked at her as though he had no idea what she was talking about, "Nothing," he answered.

"Are you quite sure?" she insisted, raising an eyebrow.

"Why shouldn't I be?"

"Hmm….funny," said Lisa, frowning and placing a hand under her chin as though she were thinking, "For a moment there I thought you didn't _want_ me to go with Will. But, oh well," she added hastily to block his response,"I guess I was wrong then."

"Lisa!" Will called out, "The boat's ready!"

"Oh, what do you know? They're ready!" she told Jack, leaving him without another word. He simply gaped at her, still shocked by what she had just told him, as he watched her casually walk to the other end of the ship.

"Oh, and one last thing, Captain?" she suddenly asked, swirling around, "If I were you…I'd turn off these lights once we're gone!"

This shocked Jack even more: did she know about his plan? And if she _did_, then why was she still following Will? He thought about this and went after her just as she finally reached Gibbs, who was holding the ladder for her. She easily hopped over the rail and started to climb down to the small boat where Will was waiting for her, while Jack arrived.

"Your charriot awaits!" Ragetti cackled as she decended, laughing hysterically.

Lisa smirked at him as she landed in the swaying boat and yanked the rope he was holding away from his hands. Then she sat down besides Will and looked up. Jack was peering down at her, but he didn't speak. They exchanged an intense stare, and Lisa couldn't repress a delighted grin: was that a _worried_ look Jack had on his face? Yes, now there was no mistaking it: Jack was actually _worried_ for her! But as soon as he noticed her smile, he changed his expression and yelled at them, "If you are captured, just say Jack Sparrow sent you to settle his debt! Might save your lives!"

"I'm sure it will!" Lisa yelled back at him.

She and Will then faced their next obstacle: reaching the wreckage without becoming one themselves. They had a hard time trying not to have the boat tossed over by the waves, but in the end they managed to crash into the "Dutchman" and disembarked. Lisa's clothes were by now so wet that she didn't even feel the rain anymore. Will led the way onto the ship, holding a lit lantern. The place was spooky, and Lisa gulped, careful to stay right behind Will. They took a few cautious steps, peering around, and noticed a shadowed figure moving not far from them. They walked towards it, and the lanter finally showed them it was a man, hoisting an unexsiting flag and looking absolutely terrified of something. Will gave Lisa a perplexed glance

"Sailor?" he said, "Sailor!" he repeated more loudly when he got no answer. The man stopped moving, but kept on shaking. "It's no use," Will tried to explain, "You've run aground."

The man mumbled some answer Lisa couldn't make out, and started hoisting again. Lisa was beginning to feel scared, and backed off a few steps, when suddenly she heard a loud splash coming from behind her. She yelled and spun around: a man had just fallen from the crow's nest!

"What is it?" Will asked, immediately by her side. He saw the corpse, which was lieing on its face, and hung the lantern to the main pole. Lisa watched him, trembling slightly from the fright, and he turned the man around: he no longer had a face, but a horrible pulsing piece of flesh. Will jumped back, shocked, and Lisa closed her eyes in disgust.

"Oh. My. _God!_" she exclaimed.

"We have to get out of here," Will told her, but no sooner had he said that, that they heard a roaring noise coming from the ocean. They both looked up and hurried over to the side of the ship: there, in front of their stunned eyes, the Flying Dutchman – the_ real _one- had just burst right out of the waves. Will and Lisa both stared at it, amazed by its appearance. Up close, Lisa thought it looked ever more threatening and marvellous, all together.

Then, without warning, she felt someone grab her hands and tie her wrists together behind her back.

"WILL!" she yelled, and he jerked his head around: a figure, half-man and half-fish, had just taken hold of Lisa! In fact, other similar creatures, likewise half-men and half-fish, were now coming out of the ship itself, surrounding the couple.

Lisa began kicking and squirming to free herself, but immediately stopped when the fishman put a blade to her throat: if there was one thing she was certain of, it was that he would definitely not hesitate to kill her. Her breath quickened and her heart was beating wildly, but she tried to keep her cool as much as possible.

In the meantime, Will had drawn his own sword to confront the fishmen.

"Get away from her!" he ordered, pointing the weapon to the one holding Lisa.

They just cackled wickedly, but of course nobody listened to him. They were now standing in a circle, with Will in the middle against the main pole, Lisa being held just in front of him, and the rest of the fishmen either searching the ship for bodies or crowding around.

Out of the corner of his eye, Will saw the lantern still burning behind him, and suddenly whipped around, immerging his sword in some black liquid and then smashing the lantern with it. A flame immediately blazed from it, and he threatened Lisa's captor again.

"I said," he repeated through gritted teeth, "Get. Away. From. Her."

Now that he was holding a flaming blade, the fishmen seemed a little less smug, and the laughter died off. "All right," shouted the one holding Lisa, "Take her!" And without warning he threw her towards Will, who had to drop the sword to stop her from getting hurt. He caught her, and she held onto him, shaking with fear. Now that they were unarmed, the fishmen were once again menacingly glaring at them.

"It's all right, Lisa," Will said, although he too was scared, "We'll get out of this. I-"

Lisa felt his arms suddenly grow limp as he fell to the floor. One of the fishmen had hit him on the head! She yelled and fell on her knees, pulling him up on her lap. An eerie laughter rang around her, and she felt her skin crawling. What was she going to do now?

She felt her heart skip a beat when she saw Will already begin to stir, but before he'd opened his eyes, one of the fishmen had roughly pulled her up on her feet, and dragged her away. She tried to oppose as best as she could, but was really too weak to do him any harm. She was forced to the side of the ship, where the men shoved her onto a wooden bench alongside the other survivors of the ship. Will was thrown on the seat next to hers just a few moment later, and he appeared to be conscious again, although he wasn't completely awake yet. Lisa tried her best not to tremble and keep a dignified attitude. The fishmen were now standing still, as though waiting for someone, and the rain gradually stopped. There was silence amongst them, and nobody dared to speak. In the meantime, Will had regained full consciousness, to Lisa's relief.

Her shoulders were still trembling, no matter how hard she tried to control herself. And to think she'd always watched that scene and made fun of the shaky survivors, boasting about how she would be brave enough to not flinch one little bit and laugh right in the face of those horrible mutated men. In reality, after seeing that corpse, being attacked so suddenly, and seeing Will get knocked unconscious had shaken her a lot.

Will saw her and slowly moved his hand, placing it on top of hers. She was startled and jumped slightly when she felt his touch, but then she managed to look up at him and smile briefly as a thank you.

Not too long after that, they heard a distant thud, followed by another, and another, and another: someone was walking up the deck towards them. Lisa turned just in time to see a massive figure rising right out of the water and onto the ship. Even though he was hidden in shadow, she knew at once who he was. He stepped into view, and there he was: tall, dark, he was wearing a drenched, ripped black coat and a hat from which seashells hung. One of his legs was missing, and a crab leg had replaced it. Likewise, his left arm was a crab's claw, and his other had a long tentacle for a finger. But what struck Lisa the most was his face, covered by a thick beard of tentacles that swayed with each step he took. He walked slowly, and the other survivors flinched each time his crab leg hit the pavement. Lisa, however, suddenly found she wasn't afraid anymore. Probably this was due to the fact that since he had appeared his crewmembers had backed away in respect, and weren't threatening her anymore…for now.

And so there he stood, massive and proud. Davy Jones.


	8. Negotiations

**A/N: ****Ahoy mates! Your Kayla is back with another chapter! I'd like to thank all of you for reviewing, as usual: ****iiceangel3.o,****A Forgotten Fairy,****dog youkai jane,****Kayley Taylor,****CaptainElizabethTurner, ****thanks for your opinions about which beginning is best! For the record, yes, I've decided to change it, so I've removed the old beginning now. And ****tpfang56 ****made me notice there's another thing that was 'wrong': Jack kissing Lisa on the cheeck. I've thought about it over and over, and I've come to the conclusion that I just **_**can't**_** picture him doing that. Not much for the age issue, but simply…I can't imagine Jack kissing a girl on the cheeck! LOL :P So for now,I'll leave it, but I **_**might**_** take that deatail away later on, just so you know. Ok, moving on, this new chapter's got a bit of tension to it…whooo! ;P Enjoy and let me know what you think!**

**Love to all, and to our next update!**

**xoxox Kayla xoxox**

_**Chapter Seven: Negotiations**_

The Captain of the Flying Dutchman stared at the survivors for a moment, then took another couple of steps towards them. One of his men, with a hammerhead shark's face, walked up besides him, and he stopped to listen to what he had to say.

"Five men and one girl still alive," the hammerhead announced, "The rest have moved on."

Davy nodded once in understandment, then marched right up to the bench where Lisa, Will and the other four sailors were. An icy silence filled the air, and as Davy walked past Lisa, she felt an eerie tingle crawl up her spine.

Davy stopped in front of one of the men, and bent down so that he was at his same face level. He took his time to calmly reach for his pipe and light it, while the poor man shook and stuttered in terror. He then he took a drag from the now lit pipe, and huffed the smoke out.

"Do you fear death?" he asked in a deep voice that made the hair on Lisa's neck stand up, in a mixture of fear and adrenaline. "Do ye fear that dark abyss?" he carried on, "All your deeds laid bare…all yer sins punished! I can offer ye… an escape!"

"Don't listen to him!"

Lisa's breath caught in her throat: the man sitting at the front of the row had just yelled that! She watched Davy smirk, get up, and stride in front of the now cowering sailor. Without warning, he grabbed his throat with his clawed hand, lifting his body up.

"Do you _not_ fear death?" he asked, almost innocently, as though nothing had happened.

"I…I take my chances, sir," the sailor answered bravely.

Davy looked at one of his men, and simply ordered, "To the depths."

Lisa saw one of the mutated pirates take the man's head, pull it back to bear his throat, and... she looked away, but still heard the disgusting sound of flesh being cut. Moments later, she heard a splash as the sailor's body was thrown overboard.

"Cold blood!" cried another one of the men.

"Life's cruel," Davy snapped, putting his pipe out on his clawed arm, "Why should the afterlife be any different?" He looked at the rest of the survivors, "I offer ye a choice! Join me crew…an' postpone the judgement! One hundred years before the mast," he continued, now adressing one particular sailor, "Will ye serve?"

This time, the man knew better than to decline his offer. With a trembling voice, he answered, "I-I will serve!"

Davy beamed in satisfaction, then got up and started marching away, when he noticed Will and Lisa sitting at the end of the line. He stopped in his tracks and glared at them.

"You are neither dead nor dieing," he observed, before asking, "What is yer purpouse here?"

"We-" Will began, but Lisa was quicker.

"Jack Sparrow sent us to settle his debt," she answered, suddenly feeling her fear go away as she built up enough courage to face Davy.

He blinked, confused, and asked again, "What is yer purpose here?"

"Lisa, no!" Will warned in a whisper, but she shook her head at him.

"I said," she then repeated, firmly keeping her eyes on Davy, "Jack Sparrow. Sent us. To settle. His debt."

It took Davy a couple more moments to register her answer. Then, he shook his head slightly and chuckled, "Ah…did he now? I'm sorely tempted te accept that offer!"

And he spun around, now leering in the direction of the Black Pearl, which was completely covered by the darkness of the night. Lisa gasped slightly when she saw Davy disappear from view, and knew he's moved right onto the Pearl, from where Jack had been watching them the whole time. She only wished she were there to see what happened next.

On the Pearl, Jack was staring into his spyglass, wondering what was on Lisa's mind to confront Davy so boldly. Then, he saw Davy turn around and stare right in his direction. He was startled when, a split second after, he appeared in front of him. Jack hastily lowered the spyglass.

The rest of Davy's crew suddenly appeared out of nowhere too, creeping up on Jack's men and seizing them. "Oh," was all Jack was able to say, grinning slightly a Davy, who didn't react.

"Ye have a debt to pay!" he growled at Jack, who backed away as he walked towards him, "Ye've been Capt'n of the Black Pearl for thirteen' year's! _That_ was our agreemen't!"

"Actually," Jack began, "_Technically_, I was only Captain for two years…then, I was _visciously_ mutinied upon…"

"Then ye were a poor Captain," Davy retorted, "But a Captain nonetheless! Have you not introduced yourself, all these years…as _Captain _Jack Sparrow?" he laughed, mocking him, and his crew sniggered with him.

"Well," Jack said, "I already gave you your…er - payment. It's already over there!" and he motioned towards the Dutchman.

Davy shook his head, "One soul is not equal to another!"

"Aha!" Jack exclaimed triumphantly, "So we've established my proposal is sound in principle, and now we're just haggling over price!"

"Price?" Davy echoed.

Jack looked at him intently, "Just how many souls do you think _my_ soul is worth?"

Davy thought about it for a moment, then answered, "One hundred souls. Three days."

"You're a diamond, mate," said Jack cheerfully, "Now send back my two mates and I'll get started right off." He turned to leave, but the hammerhead pirate blocked him, and he gasped in disgust.

"I'll be keepin' yer little friends," said Davy, "As a good faith pament. Tha' leaves ye only ninety-eight te go."

Jack closed his eyes, cursing mentally and trying to come up with a plan quickly. He couldn't leave Will and Lisa on the Dutchman! But Davy would never let them go...at least, not _both_ of them. He sigh. There was only one thing he could do.

"Forgive me, William," he thought, before turning and smiling broadly at Davy, "Oh, by all means, keep the lad! He's no use to me anyway! But the girl," he stepped right in front of Davy, and stated in what he hoped was the firmest voice he could muster, "Is mine."

Davy didn't answer right away, but thought about what Jack was telling him. At last, he made up his mind and grinned, before giving his answer to Jack.

Back on the Dutchman, Lisa and Will were silently waiting to see what would happen to them. Davy and his crew had left the shipwreck and the survivors to go on the Pearl, and although Lisa knew what was going on between Jack and Davy at the moment, the anxious wait was unbearable.

"Do you think Jack will save us?" she finally dared to ask.

Will sigh, "I don't know," he answered honestly, "I don't even know what debt he was talking about, who knows what's on his mind right now! But Lisa," he added, and she looked up at him, "Whatever happens, I promise I'll do anything to protect you, you hear?"

Lisa nodded, and before he could add anything else, they heard an eerie squishing sound as Davy himself re-appeared out of the broken mast that was hanging limply in front of them. Without a word, he made for Lisa, who cringed and instinctively clung onto Will for protection.

"You," Davy ordered, now towering in front of her, "Ye're comin' with me, lass."

"_What?" _Lisa yelled, as Davy unceremoniously grabbed her arm and started dragging her away, "No…What are you doing? I can't leave him! Will! No! Let me go! Will! Help!" she hopelessly tried to oppose to Davy, as Will was blocked by two crewmembers who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. He tried to free himself, but stopped when one of them pointed a sword at his throat.

"Lisa!" he yelled.

"Will!" she yelled back, jerking her head towards him.

She was only able to catch one last glimpse of him before everything around her went black. For a couple of moments, she just felt a cold sensation pour over her. Next thing she knew, she was back on the Pearl: Davy had transported her with him!

He roughly pushed her onto the floor, and she landed just before Jack. The Captain was standing still, looking at Davy, and nodded slightly when he saw Lisa. Davy reached out and took Jack's hand.

"Three days," he hissed, before letting go of Jack's hand, leering once more at Lisa, and signalling for his men to follow him back on the Dutchman.

Once they were gone, the Pearl's crew stood still for a moment, then Jack looked at his hand, which was covered in slime. He shruddered.

"Mr.Gibbs?" he called out, and his First Mate was by his side at once, "I feel…sullied and unusual…" Jack said, puzzled and disgusted.

"And…how do we intend to harvest these ninety-nine souls in three days?" Gibbs asked, ignoring his last comment.

"Well," answered Jack, "Fortunately, he was mum as the condition in which these souls need be."

Gibbs understood, "Tortuga?"

Jack vaguely wiped his hand on Gibbs' vest, "Aye…Tortuga."

Gibbs was off at once to give orders to the crew. On her behalf, Lisa still hadn't moved, and as she stopped trembling, anger took the place of fear. So, when she saw Jack walking away casually, she rose back on her feet and stomped behind him.

"What was _that_ all about?" she asked, not caring to hide her irritation.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, yes you do!" Lisa lost her temper as she stepped right in front of him, blocking him, "You didn't want me to go with Will, so when we got caught you though, '_Hey, I know! I'll get the girl back and leave him to rot on the Dutchman!'_"

Jack shook his head, "You're mad."

"Oh, am I?" Lisa scowled, narrowing her eyes.

"Listen, missy, let me get this straight," Jack said, apparently unaffected by her fiery reaction, "I did _not_ negotiate your return, savvy?, because I would've had no reason to do so. The only reason why Jones dragged you back on here is that no other Captain is foolish enough to take a woman on board! I can assure you that, had you not been a lady, you would have faced William's same fate, and I couldn't have cared less. Now if you'll excuse me," he concluded, gently but firmly pushing her aside, "There's a crew waiting for my orders and a debt I have to pay."

And he swiftly walked past her without another word. Lisa was speechless: how could Jack be so cruel? She couldn't believe what he'd just told her. _He would've had no reason to negotiate her return? He couldn't have cared less if she'd been captured? _She shook her head. And to think she'd been so foolish to believe that he was _worried_ for her! To think that she'd always thought so highly of him! To think she _adored_ him! How could he be so selfish?

"Well," she thought to herself bitterly, "I guess this settles it, then. Not only was he _not_ worried for me, apparently he couldn't care less of what happens to me! Oh, God," she thought angrily, "Why didn't they leave me with Will?"

She heard Jack calling her, but determingly turned the other way and stomped off in the opposite direction. She had _no_ intention of talking to him now. If he were to treat her that way, well then, she'd give him a taste of his own medicine.

She moodily went to sit on the stairs, sulking underneath her own heavy cloud of anger, disappointment, sorrow and worry. She gladly saw that Jack hadn't followed her, and hoped he would keep away from her, at least for now. Trying to talk to her at that moment would've been at his own dangerous risk…a risk he'd better not take.

Lisa was not a girl who got angry easily or who kept a grudge with people, but the way Jack had acted, and most of all, the fact that he'd made it look like he really couldn't have bothered less with Lisa's fate really made her livid. She knew she couldn't have expected better from a pirate, but it still hurt to see him act that way.

She was driven away by her thoughts when Gibbs politely asked her to move. She rolled her eyes, even though he had nothing to do with her current mood, and shifted from her spot. He thanked her and was about to walk on, but then stopped.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Jack, that's what's wrong!" she exlaimed, looking away, "He just told me he had nothing to do with Jones taking me back on the Pearl. Said that, had it been up to him, he'd have gladly left me on the Dutchman because, apparently, he doesn't remotely care for me!" Gibbs was quiet for a moment, and Lisa, thinking it was because Jack was his Captain, added, "I mean, what am I supposed to do, after hearing him say this right in my face?"

This time, she was surprised to see Gibbs sigh and then sit down besides her. "Lass, if I were you" he then said, placing a hand on her shoulder, "I'd think twice before judging people so harshly."

Lisa stared at him, "Are you _kidding_ me? You mean I shouldn't judge Jack because he _just_ betrayed his friend and told me I'm nothing for him?"

"Aye," Gibbs answered simply.

"Ok, this is ridiculous," Lisa laughed bitterly, then demanded, "Am I missing something here?"

"Lisa," Gibbs said, cautiously, "Jack is the one who told Jones to take you back."

"_What?"_

Gibbs nodded, "When they were discussing about the hundred souls Jack is to gather, Jones said he wanted to keep both you and Will as a good-faith payment, but Jack wouldn't hear it. He said he could let Will go, because he knows the lad can take care of himself, but he wanted to have you back and would have no negotiation over that." Lisa was stunned, and Gibbs patted her shoulder and smiled, "So if I were you, I wouldn't think so bad about him."

And with that he got up and went back to his chores, leaving Lisa alone and more confused than ever. She raised her head and saw Jack at the other end of the ship, steering the rudder and examining his compass, frowning.

"Jack," she thought simply, looking at him, "What have you done?"


	9. Tortuga

_**A/N: **_Hello, mates!! I'm very much aware and very much ashamed that it's taken me AGES to update, but I've tried to make this chapter extra-long to make it up to y'all!:) I hope you guys like it, it took me forever to write it! And I promise that the updates will be much quicker now that I'm back from vacation!

Lots of love to all,

xoxo Kayla xoxox

_**

* * *

**__**Chapter Eight: Tortuga**_

The journey to Tortuga, Lisa found out, would take them a good four hours. In other words, she had plenty of time to decide how to act with Jack. Since her talk with Gibbs she'd begun to feel increasingly guilty for fighting with him, not to mention foolish.

Of course, she couldn't have expected him to admit he had negotiated for her return…and because of her impulsiveness, she hadn't even stopped to consider the very probable possibilty that he had been, in fact, bluffing when he'd denied it.

But the truth that Gibbs had so bluntly told her changed everything: if Jack didn't care for her, then why had he troubled to ensure her return? Why not act like his normal selfish self and simply abandon her along with Will on the Dutchman? It would've caused him much less trouble, no doubt…and yet, instead of thinking of his own safety, Jack had been determined to have her back. Lisa couldn't understand. What surprised her was the fact that he'd put aside his own trouble, to worry about her fate. That did _not_ sound like something Jack Sparrow would usually do.

_Definitely_ not.

Now, Lisa was torn between wanting to go talk to him and fearing another confrontation, and she prayed he would be the one to act. Thankfully, some time later, as she leaned against the _Pearl'_s railing, gazing thoughtfully at the sea, he seemed to decide to make the first move and walked up to her.

"Almost there," he announced, evidently trying to start a conversation, "Just wait a little longer and you'll see the outline of Tortuga on the horizon."

Lisa nodded, "Great."

There was a pause, during which Lisa's inner voice screamed at her to take this chance and let him know she was sorry, and Jack struggled to find the right words to say. After all, he really hadn't meant to be so harsh with her earlier on.

The fact was, after she'd begun to hint that he'd been against her leaving because he cared for her, he'd felt the urge to make her believe he had nothing to do with Jones bringing her back to him. He didn't want her to get any funny ideas, and that had seemed like the best way to act. In reality though, he'd done it because he was confused, and couldn't entirely understand what had made him want her back in the first place.

Both of them broke the silence at the same time.

"Look, Jack-"

"Lisa, luv-"

They shut up, looking at each other, and Lisa laughed nervously.

"I'm sorry, Ja – er, Captain…go ahead."

"No, luv…you go first," he said, wanting to sound polite.

Lisa took a deep breath and started, "Listen…about before, I…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"Ah, never mind luv," he replied, glad she'd brought up the subject.

"No, no," she insisted, "I was rude and –"  
"Lisa, I'm telling you-"

"I didn't have any reason to-"

"Lisa-"

"Act that way with you when-"

"I lied," Jack blurted out, exasperated.

Lisa was taken aback, "What?"

"I lied to you," he repeated, realizing that it was now too late to hold back the truth, "I…I _did_ make Jones bring you back."

Lisa paused for a moment, looking away, and he opened his mouth to speak again, but she cut him off with a sentence that took him by surprise, "I know."

"Beg your pardon?"

She looked back at him, "I know. Gibbs told me after I stormed off from you." An awkward silence fell between them, before she asked, "So…why did you do it?"

Jack thought about it before answering, carefully choosing his words, "When Jones told me he wanted to keep you and William as hostages, I knew I had to get you out of there, because I knew that Will could take care of himself, but I was…er," he paused for a moment, "…_concerned_ about you."

Lisa nodded in understandment, "Well…thank you, then, Jack."

"It's Captain, luv," he reminded her dryly.

"Oh, right…_Captain_," she smiled lightly, "Sorry."

He smiled back, and just then they heard Gibbs shouting that they were reaching their destination. Jack excused himself and left Lisa to give new orders to the crew, and the girl patiently waited as they neared the island of Tortuga. Slowly, the Pearl glided inside the port's harbour, and after some more bustling they were finally docked.

Jack told the crew to see to it that the ship got loaded with supplies before their departure. Then, as the pirates began leaving the ship, he beckoned Gibbs and Lisa over.

"Right, mates," he said, "Tortuga might be the best place for us to be in this time of touble, but we need a plan, and we need it fast. I have three days before fish-face comes back for me soul, and I have no intention of handing it over to him, savvy? So, how _do_ we find these bloody nintey-nine-" Lisa cut him off with a dirty look as he implied Will counted as one soul, "I mean, _one hundred_ souls?"

Gibbs thoughtfully bit hit lip, while Jack's gaze unfocused into space.

"Oh, Good _Lord_!" thought Lisa, "Am I going to have to suggest the _entire_ movie here?" she huffed, then said, "Oi!" The two men turned their attention to her, "I think I have an idea," she said, grinning.

_**Later on…**_

"My God, Jack, is this place always so-EEEK!"

Lisa yelled and stepped aside as a semi-conscious drunken pirate was thrown to the ground by a man the size of a gorilla. Jack rolled his eyes as he saw her stop and stare, and grabbed her arm, "Come on," he urged her, pulling her away from the fight.

The two finally managed to cross the crowded, noisy tavern, and reached Gibbs, who was sitting behind a desk, examining a line of men that was steadily forming in front of him.

It had been Lisa's idea, following the movie's plot, to have them go to the Faithful Bride and pretend to be recruiting sailors for some great adventure. On one side, she felt sorry for those poor men who were unlucky enough to believe it, but then again, it didn't sound so bad if she though it was to help Jack.

The Captain sat besides Gibbs, inviting Lisa to do so as well. They watched as the sailors explained to Gibbs why they wanted to become a part of Jack's crew, as he pretended to listen to them. Jack, in the meantime, had taken out his compass, and kept opening it and closing it abruptly, as though expecting something magical to happen. At one point, he opened it along with his hand, as though trying to perfom a magic trick.

Lisa raised an eyebrow, "Is everything all right, Jack?"

"Of course it is," he replied grumpily, shutting the compass once more and proceeding to shake it vigorously. Lisa chuckled. She knew what he was really trying to do, but decided to ignore him for the time being.

Instead, she turned to look at the sailors again, and her heart gave a small jolt as she recognized the next man in the line. Ex-Commodore James Norrington, shabby, drunk…and apparently very angry.

"Oh-oh," she muttered to herself, sensing the impending trouble, "Ah, Jack?"

"Just how many times do I have to tell you," he said impatiently, still shaking the compass, "It's _Captain_ Jack-?"

Lisa tugged at his sleeve, and he glared at her, before following her gaze and recognizing Norrington as well. He made a face, "Ah…you know what, luv? I think it's time for us to…take a walk."

And he hastily placed the compass back in his jacket, signalling with his hand for Lisa to follow him as he crept away. As they passed a vase full of bamboo sticks with large green leaves, he picked one up and placed it in front of himself, as though trying to blend in with the background.

Lisa jumped slightly and turned her head around when she heard Norrington flipping the wooden table over, and she saw Gibbs rolling away on the floor.

"So, am I _worthy_ to sail under the command of Captain Jack Sparrow?" the ex-Commodore slurred in a snotty english accent, as the crowd around him stared.

Lisa looked around for Jack and saw that he was still attempting to escape. However, with a swift movement Norrington took hold of his gun and aimed it at him.

"Or should I just kill you now?"

Jack froze on the spot. He turned to look at Norrington, then shifted left…right…but the gun remained steadily aimed. Finally, Jack grinned and set the plant down.

"You're hired!"

Norringon smirked, "Sorry…bad habits and all that."

He was about to shoot, when Lisa saw three of the sailors that had just signed up for Jack's crew crash into him, making the shot miss Jack and hit a man's drink instead. As a new fight broke out from there, Jack quickly went back to Lisa, who was standing still staring at Norrington.

"Let's go, luv," he whispered to her, tugging at her hand and leading her through the chaos.

Amongst the crowd, Lisa thought she caught the quickest glimpse of another familiar face, this time belonging to a girl, but there was so much confusion that she lost sight of her immediately.

At last, she and Jack managed to get outside, where they were soon joined by Gibbs. Lisa gladly welcomed the fresh night air after the heat of the tavern, and they stood still for a moment to catch their breath.

"Well," Jack then said, "_That_ was unexpected…I think that's enough for tonight, we might as well just head back for the Pearl and come up with another plan for tomorrow."

"Aye, Capt'n," agreed Gibbs. Lisa nodded.

The trio set out along the streets of Tortuga, heading back for the port. After a while Lisa, who had been walking a few steps behind Jack and Gibbs, felt as though she were being watched: and sure enough, as she looked around she saw a group of ugly, filthy-looking men staring at her, grinning maliciously. One of them whistled when she saw her staring, and another clicked his tounge. She shruddered and moved on, only to bump straight into another man.

He was tall and threatening, and he glared at Lisa hungrily. She felt herself turn as still as a stone, and her heartbeat quickened.

"Well well well," said the man in a rough voice, "What do we 'ave 'ere, ei? A litt'l lady, all alone…Just what I was lookin' fer…" he stretched a dirty hand towards her, and she backed away, before instinctively slapping him. He looked shocked for a moment, then angrily growled, "Why ye filthy-"

He raised a hand to hit her, and Lisa closed her eyes. A moment later, her knees buckled underneath her and she was thrown sideways, clutching her cheek. A second later, she heard the pouding of footsteps, someone yelling, "OI!", and then felt a presence step up in front of her. She opened her eyes again: it was Jack!

He was now standing between her and the man.

"What's your problem, Mangus?" he demanded through gritted teeth.

"Jack!" the man exclaimed, "That wench just hit me! She deserved it!"

It happened in a flash: Jack's fist hit him square in the face, and he bent over in pain. The other men who had been watching Lisa gasped, and she stood silently, holding her breath. Jack then took out his gun and aimed it at Mangus's head, to prevent him from reacting.

"Watch your mouth, you useless bag of scum," he growled dangerously, leering at Mangus, "If I see you or another of your bloody pals ever even _think _about touching her again, I swear to God I'll be sending you to Davy Jones's locker without a second though, _savvy?"_ The man managed to nod, still bent over and clutching his nose, his eyes glued to Jack's gun, "Good. Now get out of my sight before I _really_ lose my temper."

And he pointed his gun in the air, firing a warning shot. Mangus jumped and then scrambled away, followed by the other men. Jack set his gun back inside his belt and turned to Lisa.

"All right, luv?" he asked, stepping besides her to help her get up.

"I think so," she answered, taking his hand and hoisting herself back on her feet.

Jack frowned as he saw the mark of Mangus's fingers on her cheek, and raised his hand, placing it gently on the bruise and shaking his head, "That bastard…"

"It's fine, Jack," Lisa said, "Really…it was just the first impact that hurt. I'm all right now."

Jack took his hand away and nodded, "Right then," he looked at her intently, "But you better stick with me until we get to the Pearl. I don't want you running into anymore of these rotten men."

"Thanks, Jack," she said.

He smiled, slighlty embarassed, "Don't mention it, luv." He offered her his arm, "Shall we?"

She clung onto him, "Sure."

This time, they walked together, and were able to reach the docks without further interruptions. They were just about to reach the Pearl, when a voice called out Jack's name. He turned only halfway around, without stopping to focus on the person behind them, and said, "Come to join me crew, lad? Welcome aboard!"

"I'm here to find the man I love."

At this, Jack stopped in his tracks, and exchanged a confused glance with Lisa.

"I'm…deeply flattered, son," he then answered, "But my first and…only love is the sea."

He made a face that made Lisa giggle, and was about to move on when the person added, "Meaning William Turner, Captain Sparrow."

Jack finally turned, and immediately recognized the girl that Lisa had seen in the tavern before, "Elizabeth?"

He made to turn towards Gibbs, but Lisa anticipated him and ordered, "Hide the rum."

Jack smirked and then said to Elizabeth, "You know, these clothes do not flatter you at all. It should be a dress or nothing…I happen to have no dress in my cabin."

"Jack!" Lisa exclaimed reproachfully.

Elizabeth stared at her, puzzled, then told Jack, "I know Will came to find you. Where is he?"

"Well," Lisa cut in, sighing dramatically, "Dearie, we are truly unhappy to have to tell you this, but… through an unfortunate and entirely unforeseeable series of circumstances that had nothing whatsoever to do with – er - us, poor Will has been press-ganged into Davy Jones's crew."

Elizabeth gaped at her, before asking, "Jack…who is she? How does she know this? Is she telling the truth?"

"Ah, well," Jack said uneasily, "As a matter of fact…yes."

"I-I can't believe…Davy Jones?"

"Oh, _please_," another voice cut in, and they all turned to see Norrington, completely splattered in mud and looking sick, "The Captain of the Flying Dutchman?"

"You look bloody awful, what are you doing here?" asked Jack.

"You hired me," he answered snottily, "I can't help it if your standards are lax."

"You smell funny," Lisa retorted, stealing yet another of Jack's lines.

"Jack," Elizabeth interrupted them, "All I want is to find Will."

"Are you certain?" he demanded, "Is that what you really want most?"

"Of course."

Jack put his hand onto her back and led her to the side, explaining,"Because I would think you'd want to find a way to save Will most."

"And you'd have a way of doing that?" Elizabeth enquired.

"Well," he answered, "There is a chest... "

"Oh, _dear,_" Norrington commented. Lisa shot him a fired look.

"A chest," Jack continued, as though he hadn't heard him, "Of unknown size and origin."

Lisa made way as Pintel and Ragetti passed her, carrying one of the boxes containing supplies they were stowing on the Pearl.

"What contains the still beating heart of Davy Jones!" exclaimed Pintel as they went by, and Ragetti did a gruesome imitation of a beating heart being torn out of the chest.

"Yes, indeed," said Jack, looking at the two with a semi-worried expression, before returning to his story, "And whoever possesses that chest possesses the leverage to command Jones to do whatever it is he or she wants...including," he added with a smile, "Saving brave William from his grim fate."

"You don't actually _believe _him, do you?" Norrington asked Elizabeth, who didn't answer him but demanded, referring to Jack, "_How do we find it?"_

"With this!" Jack proclaimed enthusiatically, holding up his compass, "My compass…is unique!"

"Oh!" said Lisa, pretending to be amused, though she already knew what made it special.

"Unique, here, having the meaning of broken?" said Norrington.

Jack glared at him for a moment, then said admittedly, "True enough, this compass does not point north."

"Then where does it point?" asked Elizabeth.

"It points to the thing you want the most," answered Jack, and Lisa secretly mouthed his answer to herself.

"Jack," said Elizabeth, shaking her head slightly, "Are you really telling the truth?"

"Every word, love," he vowed, "And what you want most in this world," he continued, placing the compass in her hands, "Is to find the chest of Davy Jones…is it not?"

"To save Will," she specified.

"By finding the chest of Davy Jones," he nodded.

Then, he clicked the compass open and stepped away from her. They all stood still for a moment, Lisa waiting for Elizabeth to give them a heading, but…

"Jack…it's not working."

Jack looked surprised, "What?" He walked back towards her, frowning. Lisa nonchalantly took a few steps closer to them and, as she looked at the compass's needle, she saw that it was standing quite still, instead of spinning.

"How is that possible?" Jack demanded, snatching the compass back from her.

Elizabeth shrugged, "I…I don't know…I…"

"Maybe she's not the Chosen One," mocked Norrington.

Instead of snapping back an answer, Jack turned his head towards him and said, "You know what? You're damn right, Commodore!" he then looked at Lisa, and asked, "Lisa?" he took a step towards her, turning his back to Elizabeth, "Would you mind-?"

Lisa was taken aback by his sudden request, "Oh…sure," she replied, taking the compass from his hands and hopefully gazing down at the needle.

At once, it started spinning wildly, until it lingered for a moment too long pointing directly at Jack. Lisa's heart gave a funny little jolt, but thankfully the needle began spinning again and then stopped, this time poiting towards the ocean.

Jack beamed broadly, "You did it! I knew I could count on you, luv!" Lisa felt herself blush slightly, and he added, "I don't know _why_ I didn't think about you earlier…Mr.Gibbs!"

"Capt'n?" the first mate called back promptly.

"We have our heading!" Jack and Lisa exclaimed in unison.

She laughed when he looked at her and said, only semi-seriously, "Must you _always_ do that?"

"Finally!" said Gibbs, turning on his heels and giving out orders to set sail.

With a sweep of his arm, Jack invited the two girls on board, "Miss.Swann…Lisa…"

Lisa followed them as they walk up the wooden plank, but was careful to stay slightly behind to see Ragetti shoving a goat into Norrington's arms, and mockingly announcing, "Welcome to the crew, former Commodore!"

The girl chuckled under her breath at the man's face, then turned back around and climbed aboard the Pearl.


End file.
